Fire Storm
by Chrissy Almasy
Summary: Seifer Almasy is nothing if not a Knight, but it is not the Sorceress he has vowed to protect. Ultimecia doesn't take kindly to his treachery and draws him into Time Compression to tell him so in person. [unrequited SxS shonenai]
1. Calm before the Storm

Summary: Things aren't always what they seem. People aren't always who you think they are. The Second Sorceress War through the eyes of Seifer Almasy.

A/N: A series of chronological one-shots describing Seifer's thoughts and feelings during the war. Something I came up with when trying to plug some inconsistencies in the game in a more creative manner than to designate them as 'mistakes in the script'.

Warnings: For now just hints at platonic and probably unrequited shounen-ai (boy-love, that is)

Disclaimer: Listen carefully, I shall say this only once: I do not own the characters, I do not own the game's story. Squaresoft does. And I'm still not making any money with this, either. Damn.

* * *

**Part 1 – Calm before the storm**

It was still dark outside. The display of the clock on the paper-filled desk dutifully informed that it was ten past 5 in the morning. Yet Seifer Almasy, one of Balamb Garden's senior cadets, was wide awake and in full combat outfit.

Tapping one finger impatiently on the side of his chair, he waited for the telephone to establish a line to the other side of the world. It rang once, twice…

_Beep 'This is the answering machine of Edea Kramer. Please leave a message aft…'_

Angrily, he slammed the receiver down, terminating the connection.

He rubbed his hands over his face. No response, again. He had tried to contact Matron for the past two weeks, but all he'd ever got was the damn answering machine. He'd left a message the first few times, and usually she'd call him back within a day or two. But he hadn't heard so much as a whisper from her. It was as infuriating as it was alarming.

He took a deep breath and tried to get a clear mind.

"Okay, Seifer, calm down and review. What have we got so far?"

Too much weird things to be circumstantial, that much was clear.

First of all, there was this voice chanting incomprehensible words at the edge of his consciousness. It seemed to home in on his Fire Mage abilities. That meant that the source had to be magical. Not paramagic, but true, full-fledged magic powers like Sorceresses had. That was, after all, how he'd got his share of fire magic.

But that he had received a fragment of a Sorceress' magic didn't mean that he was a Sorceress in the true sense of the word. And that meant he had no clue to what the chanting was supposed to mean. He'd wanted to ask Edea if she knew what it could mean and where it might come from. After all, Matron _was_ a Sorceress.

Which brought him to the second curious event: Matron had disappeared, or was at least incapable of receiving or at least answering any messages. Even Headmaster Cid, who was her husband no less, had not been able to contact her these two weeks.

Both those occurrences worried him, although neither had caught him so off guard as Squall's new outfit. Usually his rival's fashion sense was not his top priority, or even remotely interesting, but the new black leather-look was disturbingly familiar. Yes, and a bit too 'camp', too.

The important thing was that it all seemed to connect to the events of a sunny summer afternoon some thirteen years ago. The connection was not always obvious, but his instinct told him it fitted together in some as yet inexplicable way.

Thirteen years ago. He had been all of five years old, and the oldest boy in Matron's orphanage. He remembered the other kids who had been there. Squall was one of them, too, although he'd forgotten about it now. The group had been playing hide and seek, but Squall had run off again, as usual.

He had hid himself in the bushes near the front door, and because of that, he had witnessed how Matron had run out after Squall, and how she had been stopped by a young man who had appeared in the front garden quite miraculously.

Closing his eyes, he could see it all before him, even after all this time. He could remember how Matron and the young man were talking on the lawn. And the flash of light which had blinded him just before a white-haired woman in a red dress and with tattered black wings had appeared.

Her arrival caused quite a reaction: the young man was a soldier, as it turned out, and he drew his weapon the instant he saw her. That image was etched into his mind even more clearly than the rest of it. If he concentrated, he could recall the how the blue glow of the man's gunblade illuminated every crack and tear in the black leather jacket and trousers he wore. The shine had also reflected on his metal belt buckles –of which there seemed to be ridiculously many-, and the heavy metal pendant he wore around his neck. The memory was so detailed it was creepy.

The pendant had been shaped like a lion's head, he recalled. Just like the pendant Squall wore together with his new black leather outfit these days. Involuntarily he bit his lip. He remembered Matron telling the young man that 'there was only one Squall permitted' at the orphanage.

Coincidence? He'd never considered that. There was no doubt that the young soldier was the man that little Squally would grow up to be in thirteen years time. That meant, the man he was now…

His powers, or rather, that red-clad Sorceress' powers, had verified that to him the moment he received them. Because the strange woman had been a fatally wounded Sorceress in search of a host to pass on her powers to, so that she could die. Edea, already a Sorceress herself, had agreed to be the recipient of those powers.

From where he had hid himself, he remembered seeing a lot of purple balls shooting from the woman's body and into Matron. But one of those balls had taken a different course, and had hit a little five-year-old boy square in the chest.

Wistfully, he turned his hand up and willed a ball of flames to form there. Fire magic. Not the paramagic variant that Garden taught its students to use in combat, but the full-fledged magic of a Sorceress. No incantations were required, nor the abilities of a Guardian Force. Just sheer will power controlled it. Matron had called him a Fire Mage.

Staring into the flame, he recalled the moment the powers impacted. There had been an instance of nothing. Calm, quiet, silence. And a few shreds of thoughts, as if the magic had a consciousness that spoke to him on a very basic level: The Sorceress had had destructive intensions, but she had died at the hands of a group of powerful soldiers. Incomplete notions flooded him. Battle, despair, betrayal, blood, and a lot of magic. And then the pain had set in and knocked him flat out.

At the flick of a thought the flame disappeared.

That was how he knew how the battle would end, but he wished he knew whatwas going to happen between now and thenAnd whether what he had anticipated was really what was going to happen.

Dread settled heavily on his stomach. Everything he had done in his life, he had done bearing in mind the prospect of Squall battling a Sorceress some time in the future. And some of it had been pretty harsh. He didn't dare to think of the consequences if it turned out now that he had completely misread the signs and falsely anticipated the future.

But on the other hand…

"Am I willing to risk giving in to uncertainty now and deciding not to see this through, while things turn out exactly as I anticipated they will?" he asked himself out loud.

He weighed the pro's, the con's, and the consequences, but quickly came to a decision. He was never one to do things half, anyway. Call it dedication.

He got up from his chair and lifted his gunblade from its casing. Stroking the black blade, a smirk tugged at his lips.

Squall knew how to fight. Garden, and their rivalry, had taught him that much. But what he needed to realise now was that _true_ adversaries never play fair.

Outside, a thunderstorm approached.

* * *

I hope you like it so far. Please R&R to let me know what you think. Flames'll be torched by Seifer, but if they're sensible and constructive, I might take notice before he does so. 


	2. Squall

**Part 2 – Storm's wake**

Rain came pouring in sheets from the sky, obscuring the landscape beyond the natural rocky arena in the middle of the Balamb plains. It beat down relentlessly, drenching the young man who stood there. On his face, rain drops mixed with the blood that came from the cut between his eyes. Some five feet away, another youngster with a similar cut on his face, sagged to his knees and then keeled over.

Seifer winced ever so lightly when he touched the fresh wound on the bridge of his nose. But the pain did keep him focussed. He couldn't afford to black out now, like Squall just did. Still he resisted the urge to drink a restorative potion. He could stand a lot more than this, he told himself.

He put his weapon back in his holster and crossed the distance to Squall's prone form. His rival lay on his back, out cold. Only the steady rising and falling of the sternum informed Seifer that he hadn't taken this fight too far.

He crouched, tugging off one glove, and searched Squall's neck for a pulse. A silent sigh of relief escaped his lips when he found a steady throb. The boy was obviously down for the count, but not seriously injured save for the wound on his face, which didn't appear to be life-threatening even if the blood made it look very impressive. Seifer dug up a handkerchief from his soaked trench coat and pressed it against the cut to stop the bleeding, while making a point of ignoring the blood running down his own face.

"So this is it, is it…," he said out loud.

A few moments of silence passed. Then he hoisted Squall's body up from the cold mud and settled him against his chest. His fingers brushed the charred marks on the white shirt where his fire magic had hit Squall in the chest.

"Don't tell me you hadn't seen this one coming," he reprimanded the unconscious youth. "I know magic is not allowed in sparring sessions, but I know you know better than to expect me to play fair. I play to win, just like ever other opponent you will meet as a SeeD. You will need to play to win, too, if you want to survive."

Involuntarily he strengthened his hold on Squall.

"And I want you to survive…"

The whole plan had made sense when he had made the decision: prepare Squall for battle with real evil. Teach him what Garden won't. Teach him how to fight to win. Teach him real opponent don't fight fair. Teach him and make sure he remembers the lesson when he needs it.

His mouth was dry when he checked under the wet handkerchief. The blood still welling up from the cut was minimal. But it that wasn't good enough. He held his hand just above Squall's forehead and willed the air around it to heat up, thus causing the wound to quickly dry up and crust.

For a few minutes, the rain evaporated just before it fell on his hand. Then the heat receded.

He took a potion from his pocket, popped the cork with his teeth and applied the liquid to Squall's head and chest. All scratches and minor wounds that the younger cadet had sustained in their little outtake healed up immediately, as they should.

But magic only speeds up the healing abilities of the body: where fresh wounds will disappear without a trace under the influence of a spell or potion, an older wound, dried out around the edges, will scarify. So when the magic's glow faded, the red line between Squall's eyes was still there. It would be for the rest of his life.

And Squall would remember the lesson it signified. No doubt he would. Every single day of his life, every time he'd look in the mirror, he would be reminded of the reality of combat and the necessity to fight to win. But he would also remember who had etched that reminder on his face.

And he would hate his rival for it.

"Yes, your rival…," he whispered, almost tenderly, "I'll never be more to you than that, no matter how much I want things to be different between us. You'll hate me, but that's a consequence I'll bear. At least you'll be _alive_ to hate me, and that's all that matters to me."

This time, Squall stirred at the words. Moving without being truly awake, he leaned into Seifer's embrace just a little, seeking more of what little shelter it gave him from the cold rain, but then passed out again.

Not looking forward to having to explain their somewhat embarrassing position to a very pissed off Squall, Seifer took this as his cue to lift the younger man up and carry him back to Balamb Garden.

He gave his sleeping counterpart one last a tender glance before ramming his usual mask of arrogance into place. He'd need it to ward off tricky question from his superiors. Considering the stains on Squall's clothes and the blood that was still running down his own face, he just knew Instructor Trepe was going to make so much fuss over this…

* * *

Please let me know what you think, and if it's worth continuing. 


	3. Storm's Wake

**Part 3 – Storm's Wake**

Lying back on the plain bunk, he chipped away some flaking paint from the dull walls with his nails. It was mindless, but that was exactly his intention. Anything was better than thinking about today's events. He'd been in full control this morning. And now, tonight, as the music of the SeeD ball seeped through to his detention cell, he'd lost control of everything.

First he had had to sit through a ranting from Doc. Kadowaki, who was anything but happy to have the two most notorious cadets in Garden bleed all over her carpet first thing in the morning. As he had predicted, Squall's wound would leave a scar. So did the wound Squall gave to him, but that was something the Doc described as 'your own fault'.

He hadn't bothered to explain to her that it had been his choice to leave his own scar to form. Like Squall's wound would remind the youngster what combat was all about, his own scar would remind him of the price he paid to teach Squall that lesson. But that was no one's business but his own.

Next had been class and preparation for the SeeD exam later in the afternoon. He'd counted his blessings when Instructor Trepe only made a public remark about him not hurting his partner in training. She didn't have time for more, because Squall still had to do the prerequisite tasks for the SeeD exam, and she rather helped her favourite student than berate her best student. He smirked to himself. Yes, he was her number one student, even if she didn't think of him that way.

So with everyone busy, he'd had a quiet morning after that. Only Fujin and Rajin, his loyal friends and posse, had asked after the fresh mark on his face. Squall came too close, he told them. Nothing more. They needn't know his true motivations. He hated having to lie to them, but the truth was complicated enough to himself, let alone for anyone else to understand.

Then they'd been called to assemble for the SeeD exam.

He shouldn't have been so nervous. He'd attended three exams before this one, and each time he had had to do his best to fail. The tests weren't hard for a born warrior like himself, but the big difference was that this time, Squall would be participating, too. And Squall would pass, of that he was sure.

So the kid would be a SeeD come nightfall. That meant that he would be sent on missions all over the world, but it also implied that if Seifer wanted to keep an eye on him, he would have to make SeeD as well. That last bit would prove to be difficult, since their superiors were all set on finding faults with him. Every one of his actions would be observed with a loop and weighed on a very sensitive scale. It was kind of the downside to sabotaging his own exams so many times.

He had been so set on doing it right this time. And he had to, since when they made him captain of the team consisting of Squall, Zell Dincht and himself, it was pointed out very clearly that this was his last chance of making SeeD, ever. He'd had a lot to think about on their boat trip to Dollet, where the exam would take place.

Sure he'd been bitching about being sent to a remote corner where there was hardly anything fighting going on -especially with all the adrenaline rushing through his veins-, but that was just to keep up his reputation. Fact was that he had enough self-control to stay put if he really, _really_ had to.

But the big problem was that staying put was _really_ not an option anymore when his team had discovered what the enemy was after. Yes, he could have called in the SeeD assisting the mission. Yes, he could have left well enough alone.

But things aren't 'well enough' when the chanting in his head started up again at the sight of that structure, the Communication Tower of Dollet City. The source of that chanting was there. A Sorceress most likely. Matron? He sure had hoped it was her.

No such luck, though. He'd gone ahead to scout the area, and chased a couple of Galbadian soldiers out of the structure but that was about it. But by the time Squall had arrived, dragging Zell and some petite girl cadet with him, it was slowly becoming evident that perhaps his sweep of the facility had not been as thorough as he should have been.

The insistent chanting had grown louder and louder, up to a point where he could barely stand up for the pressure on his mind. Almost simultaneously, a huge monster had appeared, clearly out for their blood. The fight that followed he could only witness through bleary eyes and a pounding headache, unable to help in any way. But Squall had learned his lesson. He had learned how to fight to win, and he proved it there and then.

With that out of the way, the girl cadet had turned to him. He had tried to hide the fact he felt like a shirt in the rinse cycle while she informed him of their new orders, namely to retreat back to the boats that had brought them here. Before the hour struck.

Less then half an hour to cross a city is not exactly well-spaced. There had been too little time to do things the official way. Since neither they nor the monster had been able to prevent the enemy troops from activating the Tower's mechanism, he had opted to run ahead and warn the SeeD about the enemy's interests and intentions. He and his team had barely made it back in time.

That's when everything went haywire. The instructors were furious about his actions, and refused to listen to reason. All they cared about was that he had abandoned his post, abandoned his team, disobeyed orders and displayed reckless behaviour in general. As team captain, he got all the blame, and his team members were pardoned from every charge whatsoever. That he'd been right about the Galbadian Army being after the Communication Tower, something the SeeD hadn't known about, was blatantly ignored.

So Squall had passed with flying colours, while he had failed yet again. At his last chance, too.

They had wanted to throw him in the detention cell straight away, but for some reason they'd allowed him to attend the graduation ball, even if it was for barely more than an hour. Probably to rub the facts in his face: He'd never be SeeD.

At least showing himself there had saved his dignity. If he'd been arrested in public, he'd never live it down. Besides, this way he'd got to see Squall live up to everyone's expectations, even if black leather looked better on the youngster than the awkwardly-shaped SeeD uniform did.

But to make matters worse, attending the ball had also earned him a run-in with his ex-girlfriend. He'd caught her in the act of making a move on Squall no less, 'romantically' hugging him as the fire works went off overhead.

Staring up at the stale white of the cell's ceiling, he groaned and draped his arm over his face. Squall and Rinoa, as a couple… Now there was a thought he could do without.

* * *

You know the drill: please R&R. There will bemore action in chapters to come, I promise! 


	4. The Arctic Breeze of Surprise

Thanks to my reviewers for their compliments. I hope you like this instalment as much as the previous ones!

* * *

**Part 4 – The Arctic Breeze of Surprise**

He hadn't even noticed he'd fallen asleep until he woke with a start. Someone had slammed a door.

"Now, now, Mr Almasy. No need to be so jumpy. It's just your breakfast."

Groggily he looked up at the uniformed person in front of the old-fashioned cell door. Instructor Trepe gave him a quick smile and nodded to the tray on the table next to the barred door. Ah yes, the detention cell. His mood plummeted at the recollection of this week's events.

"I'm not in the mood for jokes, Instructor," he growled, rubbing his neck and face in an attempt to wake himself up.

"You never are, unless you're the one making them," she commented lightly. "Now, do you want to eat or not?"

Seifer snorted, but remembered the rules of imprisonment. He nodded gruffly and stepped back from the door, as he knew he was supposed to.

The instructor took her cue and opened the cell door. She put the tray on the floor and exited without turning her back at him. He then waited until he heard the electronic lock snapping the steel bar door in place before moving to pick the food up. All exactly according to prison protocol. After all, they were both professionals.

But unlike he had expected, she didn't leave him alone after securing the cell. She just stood there, watching him. He eyed her in return.

"What'cha looking at?"

"You."

"Why?" He gave her a vicious little smirk. "I though you had a crush on the Leonheart kid."

All the recognition she gave the comment was her head turning just a bit to hide the faint blush on her cheeks. But it was all he needed, and he felt pleasantly self-satisfied about his honed skills of observation.

She recovered quickly enough. "Hardly," she stated, although with little conviction. "I was just looking at you, wondering how an able cadet like yourself manages to throw away all his opportunities on a whim."

He swallowed the bite of bread he'd just taken and pulled his lips in a snarl.

"There's a big difference between a whim and a conscious and well-considered decision."

"So you're saying you had a reason to abandon your position and your team to go chasing after some monster?" It wasn't a question. She gave him a small humourless smile. "I'm sure the Court of Inquiry will be interested in your version of the story."

"I highly doubt it," he snorted in reply. "Everyone in this Garden wants to see me off to the proverbial gallows for all this, whether I deserve that or not."

She raised a questioning eyebrow in return.

"What?" he demanded indignantly. "I _was_ right about the Galbadians' business in Dollet! And since Garden had no clue until I told you lot about the Tower, I don't think treating like a criminal is much of a way to thank me for saving the Faculty's political face."

"Regardless of any of that, you also were out of line, Almasy. Big time! And as for thanking you, I think I saved _your_ face when I arranged for you to be allowed to attend the graduation ball the other night." She paused for a moment, apparently to see if her words had any impact on him. Then she sighed.

"You do realise that I _could _have let them drag you off in chains, publicly, like the rest of the staff wanted to."

He shrugged and gave her a cold glare. "Wonderful, I got to go to the ball that wasn't for me in the first place. That made up for every accusation you lot threw at me, that did." Fact was that he _was _grateful, but he'd be damned if he ever let her know that. As she had just admitted, he had a reputation to keep up.

"Sarcasm is the only art you ever mastered in this school, Seifer."

He snarled slightly, but otherwise ignored the obvious insult and redirected his attention to his food.

Instructor Trepe shook her head with a faint smile. "Your attitude will catch up with you one day, Almasy. Or rather, it already has. If it hadn't been for your head-strong desire to do things your way, you wouldn't be sitting here eating the cafeteria's 'breakfast grande surprise', but you'd be doing what you always have wanted."

He gave her nothing but an incredulous look.

"Well, of course you'd have to work with Squall and Zell again, but I reckon you wouldn't mind that if you could be on a mission for Ms Heartilly's Forest Owl movement. After all, she did ask specifically for you."

Seifer almost choked on his coffee.

"What! Rinoa? You're saying she actually had the guts to ask Garden for SeeD support?"

"She did. Apparently, some Garden cadet had told her that that sort of thing was what SeeD was for."

He groaned. "You're telling me that she got Headmaster Cid to make good on a non-committing promise that I made her a year ago between the drinks and the bed sheets?"

"Not just the Headmaster. After all, it's Squall who's heading the three-men team Cid gave her..."

Some days it just isn't worth getting up… He swallowed the bitterness of the facts she presented to him, trying to brush it off.

"If you're trying to make me jealous, it ain't working."

"You're a liar, Seifer, and we both know it. Fact remains that right now, you're sitting here on your behind, while Squall's out there, liberating Timber."

He froze, despite the sudden rush of adrenalin that her words triggered.

"Their mission is to liberate Timber?"

The instructor pursed her lips. "They'll be helping the Forest Owls until their goal has been achieved, so, effectively… yes, it is."

"And… you left _me_ here?"

She gave a short chuckle. "Of course you couldn't be part of the mission, no matter what the Heartilly girl asked. You're in the disciplinary room pending a Court of Inquiry, remember?"

"Like that's going to stop me!" The bars shook violently as he threw his full weight against the door.

Alarmed, Instructor Trepe stepped back. "What do you think you're doing?"

He smashed into the door again. Bits of plaster were shaken loose from the ceiling.

"Instructor, don't you get it!" he exclaimed angrily. "They could be facing the whole damn Galbadian Army! And all they send are three rookie SeeD?" His lips pulled into a snarl and a hint of red flames flickered in his pupils. "Dammit, I'm going to Timber!"

At the next impact, the cell door broke out of its hinges.

* * *

Aaaaaaaaand he's off!Please R&R. No writer can improve theirwork without feedback, people! 


	5. Doom's Breath

Hey people, Part 5's up: time for Seifer to get some action. And get into trouble gnigni>!

Hikari Heijin: Thanks for the reviews! This one's for you . Enjoy!

**

* * *

**

**Fire Storm, Part 5 – Doom's Breath**

He really wanted things to have gone differently, but as it was, he had had to get out of Garden, and the staff had refused to let him. Bad combination as it turned out. Doc Kadowaki would have her hands full treating those that had tried to stop him. Only Instructor Trepe had made it through his jail break unscathed, but only because she knew him well enough not to get in the way of Hyperion and had opted to shout dire threats at him in stead.

And she had followed him to Timber, which was less convenient.

"And now, what are you going to do now, Seifer?" she demanded, panting slightly after trying to keep up with him from the train station to Timber City centre.

He halted for a moment to work out the details of his plan and get his bearings. Fortunately, Timber was one of those sleepy cities that didn't change, and everything was pretty much like it had been a year ago, when he'd stayed here with Rinoa.

Rinoa… "When I…hung out with the Heartilly girl, she told me that she wanted to liberate Timber by overthrowing Galbadia's president, so that's what she'll have Puberty Boy and his team do," he thought out loud. "And I overheard someone in the train saying that he'll be broadcasting a speech from the Timber TV station today."

"That's ridiculous!" the instructor exclaimed. "Radio signals of any sort have been impossible for the last seventeen years."

"Yeah, well, obviously Galbadia found something to remedy that. What else could they want to make the Dollet Communications Tower operational for, ey?" He raised his eyebrows sarcastically and then set off in the direction where he remembered the TV station should be.

His memory served him well, and it didn't take him long to find the stairs that led to the studio's. He thundered up, ignoring the young woman following him in hot pursuit. At the top of the stairs was the corridor with the station's studio facilities. Four of the five rooms were empty and had obviously not been used for quiet a while, but the fifth was lit and there was the faint murmur of voices coming through a supposedly soundproof door.

He peaked inside through the little round window in the door and counted heads. Three heads studio crew, some young guy in a suit looking speaking at the camera, and, indeed, the Galbadian president himself. And surprisingly little security too boost. This was going to be easy.

"So what are you planning?" Instructor Trepe's angry voice bit at him. He looked at her. Her face showed a mingle of anger and despair, her eyes betraying that she was well aware that she wouldn't be able to stop him from doing whatever was on his mind. "Are you just going to barge into the studio and capture President Deling at gunpoint?"

"Sure!" he declared quasi-happily. "Why not?"

Instructor Trepe hadn't even drawn breath enough to protest before he swung the door open and charged in.

Everyone in the studio was caught completely off guard. Whereas they'd been fussing about the first live TV transmission in almost two decades moments ago, they were now being overrun by a large man with a huge blade.

Hyperion cut through the air. Some security guards came charging at him, while the president continued his speech as if nothing happened. The lack of reaction from Deling only served to fuel Seifer's determination.

Another swing of the black blade knocked a camera over. Two guards now grabbed Seifer's arms in an attempt to seize him, but it took him little effort to break lose and grab his target, settling Hyperion against the throat of the Lifelong President of Galbadia.

"Stay back!" a strong feminine voice barked at the guards, who were regrouping for a new attempt to restrain Seifer.

Instructor Trepe gave the men a stern look. "For the last time, stay back. You're only going to provoke him." Then she narrowed her eyes at Seifer, a dangerous gesture coming from her. There was no fear in her eyes anymore. Just plain fury. It told him he'd gone too far, but there was no turning back now, anyway. So he held his position and tightened his grip on the president, while the instructor turned to face the camera, which looked like it might still be running.

"Timber team, are you watching? Get over here right now! You _have_ permission! I need you help!"

"Calling back-up for your terrorist plans, are you?" Deling said, his tone infuriatingly calm.

"Hardly," Seifer hissed into his ear. It was tempting to take the bait, but another look from the instructor changed his mind. Anything he said might alert him to their identity, and not matter what, Garden was never to be compromised. That much was drilled into every cadet.

Then his attention was drawn to the sound of footsteps outside the room. He tensed, expecting more security, but as three people rounded the door and came in, he quickly recognised his former classmates.

The three SeeD glanced around, assessing the situation. Then, as good soldiers, they turned to their superior for orders.

"We need to restrain him," Instructor Trepe quickly told the SeeD.

Squall nodded a brief nod of comprehension, and then glared at Seifer with a look of annoyance. "What do you think you're doing?" he asked, tone almost weary. He wasn't going to rush things. If anyone knew how dangerous Seifer was when determined and seemingly irrational, Squall did.

Seifer locked eyes with his rival, his blade never wavering despite the adrenaline rushing through his body. "It's obvious, ain't it? What are you planning to do with this guy?" he demanded in return, nodding at Deling.

The question momentarily confused Squall. "…Planning to do?" But then his internal monologue probably answered that question, because he turned his head away in quiet recognition.

And he wasn't the only one. Zell Dincht, the hyperactive martial artist Seifer loved to bully so much, was jumping up and down like a madman.

"I get it!" the boy exclaimed. "You're Rinoa's..."

"Shut your damn mouth, Chicken-wuss!" Seifer yelled back. He did _not_ want to be reminded of that little episode in his life, and she was _not_ the reason he was here, although that was what his group in front of him seemed to think. It bit.

"He broke out of the disciplinary room, injuring many in the process," Instructor Trepe explained, possibly in an attempt to get to a less touchy topic, if that was even possible considering the precarious situation.

"_You stupid idiot!_" Zell hollered, shaking with fury.

Squall shot the boy an exasperated look. "Be quiet."

_Fithos…_

If Zell had heard him, it wasn't showing. Face hotly lit, he turned to Instructor Trepe. "You're gonna take this stupid idiot back to Garden, right?"

"Shut up! NO!"

But Squall's warning had come too late.

_Lusec…_

Seifer felt his stomach plummet, anticipating the consequences of Zell's actions. He stared at the martial artist in anger and disbelieve. Garden had been compromised. And badly, too.

_Wecos…_

Under his hands, the president began to chuckle.

"I see… So you're all from Garden."

Dread settled heavily on the youngsters in the room, and the president visibly drew courage from that.

"Should anything happen to me," he continued, "the entire Galbadian military will undoubtedly crush Garden."

_Vinosec…_

He looked over his shoulder at his captor. "You can let go of me now."

"Nice going, Chicken-wuss. You and your stupid big mouth!" His mind was racing now. Garden, compromised. Retaliation was sure to follow. And the chanting in his head was back, which alarmed him even more. It was much stronger than before. Much louder. He heard words now, although they meant nothing to him. Nothing but that they told him that the Sorceress, _the_ Sorceress, was very, very close. Somewhere behind him. Too close… And Squall was here.

_Fithos, lusec…_

"Take care of this mess, Instructor and Mr Leader!" he yelled, moving backwards to where he thought he'd seen another way out of this room, pulling Deling along for the ride.

He'd been right about the passage. A gap between two screens lead to another studio. It was dark and empty save for the stage floor and a curtain, but the chanting was filling his mind now, making it hard for him to focus his eyes as well as his mind.

_Wecos, vinosec…_

Until he saw _her_ standing there and everything fell into place.

* * *

R&R people! I need encouragement. The next chap's playing hard-to-get. 


	6. Gush

Still only handful of reviews (people who took the trouble: thank you!), but I'm going to continue posting updates on this story anyway.

Join Seifer while he mesmerises over what the _hell _made him decide to side with the Sorceress

**

* * *

Fire Storm, Part 6 – Gush **

He ran the polishing cloth slowly along Hyperion's sleek blade, caressing it as if it were a lover. The black metal gleamed in the dusky light that shone around him, casting shadows on the walls of his small room in the Deling City Palace. A dark blade for a dark Knight. He ran the cloth along the length of the weapon once more, a humourless smile twisting the corners of his mouth at the irony of it all.

He had envisioned himself to be somewhere entirely different at this point in time. His original plan had provisioned for him to be a soldier in the fight against the Evil Sorceress. Perhaps even a hero in that war, but definitely _not_ the Knight of said Sorceress.

But that was exactly what he was now, and there was no going back anymore.

Not that he'd had much of a choice, back there in the Timber studio. It was always so easy to succumb to beauty and power, but the fact was that he wouldn't have had another option even if she had been hideous to behold.

But she wasn't. He'd be a liar not to admit that his Sorceress looked beautiful in her form-fitting black dress and her elaborate crown. The odd lighting in the studio had given her an ethereal appearance, like an angle. A dark angle that had come to seduce him for his soul.

And the chanting…The unearthly voices had been clouding his mind, and his heart had been beating in his ears.

_Fithos, lusec, wecos, vinosec…_

But his eyes hadn't been able to see anything but her face, so familiar and yet so alien.

Matron.

And yet not her at all. She looked frail like porcelain and still her features spoke of fathomless power. Her smile was as warm as it had been when he was a boy, even if that warmth didn't reach her eyes now. And then she had spoken to him, sounding so sweetly even if her words were knives.

Closing his eyes, he could see it all again.

"…_Poor, poor boy…" _

_Her voice was like thousands of little bells ringing. It was impossible to tell if she actually pronounced the words, or if it was her thoughts resonating in his head. It was so enthralling, but still even more alarming. She was his mother, his Matron, but her words sounded not at all like her. _

_Fithos, lusec, wecos, vinosec…_

_Willing aside the fog that the voices created had been easier than he had dared to hope._

"_Stay away from me!" he shouted, trying to regain control over his thoughts._

_She merely smiled. "Such a confused little boy. Are you going to step forward? Retread? You have to decide."_

"_Stay back!"_

_Fithos, lusec, wecos, vinosec…_

_To his left, he heard people approaching. Matron raised her hands in a gesture, and Instructor Trepe and Squall, who had followed him, sagged to their knees, frozen._

"_The boy in you is telling you to come," she continued as if she hadn't been interrupted. "The adult in you is telling you to back off." _

_Fithos, lusec, wecos, vinosec…_

_She glided more than walked when she moved. "You can't make up your mind. You don't have the right answer." Another eerie smile appeared, lining her coaxing words. "You want help, don't you? You want to be saved from this predicament." _

_Fithos, lusec, wecos, vinosec…_

"_Shut up!" _

As ever, the chanting had made it hard to think, but he had forced himself to, anyway. His thoughts had been incoherent images and words, but there had been a line in them. One that he stood by even now.

This woman wasn't so much his Matron, but the Sorceress he had known would come. It sounded as improbable as it was unexpected, but the magic inside him that stirred whenever she came near to him told him that it was true nonetheless.

But why there, why then? Had she come for Deling's speech? Initially maybe, but she had approached him for a very different purpose. That, his powers confirmed to him, too. He had had to fight to keep them under control, but their intention had created the only clear thought in his muddled head.

'Every Sorceress needs a Knight.'

And that alone had been her purpose…

"_Don't be ashamed to ask for help," she purred. "Besides, you're only a little boy."_

_But it was clear as daylight that she wanted his help, not offer him hers. It was her habit of referring to him as 'boy' whenever she wanted him to do something he wasn't inclined to. And he hated that. _

"_I'm not... Stop calling me a boy!"_

_Fithos, lusec, wecos, vinosec…_

"_You don't want to be a boy anymore?"_

"_I'm not a BOY!" She was grating his nerves very effectively. Losing focus quickly and getting more and more frustrated by the second, he released his grip on the Galbadian president, who ran off._

_Fithos, lusec, wecos, vinosec…_

_She approached him, almost touching his face with her long nails. "Come with me to a place of no return. Bid farewell to your childhood." _

In hindsight, he wasn't sure if he'd done the right thing. But he had had no more than a split second to decide on the next course of action. And as it turned out, it was a key decision where his own part in this play was concerned. Under normal circumstances, careful consideration of the possible consequences would have been an absolute necessity. But the circumstances had been far from normal and had denied him any chance of making a rational decision.

So now he found himself running the events in the studio over and over again in his head, at every pass trying to convince himself that he'd done the right thing. Usually he was very good at taking away his own doubt, but not this time. For the first time in his life, he felt that he had made a decision that would turn for the worse. And every glance he cast at his Lady only served to confirm that suspicion further.

But what other options had there been open to him? She wanted him as her Knight. That much she'd made clear back in the Timber Studio. Now, playing that role had never been in his plans, but if he had declined, she would have taken another. And her options had been very limited at that point in time.

If she had wanted Deling, she would have reeled him in before then. But she didn't want him. She wanted a warrior at her side. After all, that was what Sorceresses had Knights for. And there had been plenty of warriors at the scene, some more suitable than others.

Instructor Trepe had been there. But even if she was an able warrior, she was overly-correct and dead-loyal to Garden, and neither made her very liable to side with a Sorceress, even if that Sorceress was their Matron. The same was true for Zell and the little messenger girl, who were both hyperactive and overly-impulsive to boost.

So the only reasonable alternative to him that she had had, was a sullen but smart and capable soldier with the courage of a lion. And he couldn't allow her to take as her Knight the one who was destined to kill her, now could he?

If this _was_ her in the first place. The dying woman from his memories was definitely not Matron. And this Sorceress was. At least she called herself by Matron's name. And she looked like her. Or was there something he had missed?

Either way, the situation had left him to volunteer. It was not what he wanted. It was not what he had planned, but he couldn't allow Squall to be ensnared by whatever it was that she desired. And as a consequence, it was a fact that she was now his Lady, and he was expected to do her bidding.

Looking at the clock, he noticed there was another two hours left before the parade through Deling City tonight. Sorceress Edea wanted to show off her power to the people she would soon govern, and the extravagant parade she had planned was just what she needed. And her Knight would stand right by her side, all the way.

After all, it wasn't as if he had much of a choice.

* * *

R&R, please! 


	7. The Cold Night Air

And we continue. This chapter takes us to what happened just after the Parade, and solves the "mystery of disappearing icicle-induced punctures".

Please R&R!**

* * *

**

Part 7 – The Cold Night Air

It was long after midnight when Seifer finally got up from the bedside where he'd spend the last five hours. Five hours in which Squall Leonheart had fought for his life after getting run through the chest by a giant icicle. Giant icicles…. The idea would have been ludicrous if he hadn't seen it happen before his very eyes.

"That's the second time in two weeks that I end up saving your ass after you fucked up in a fight, Leonheart," he said out loud. But like the first time, Squall remained silent and motionless. Which was just as well. After balancing on the verge of permanent death for so long, the boy was as exhausted as Seifer's stock of healing potions.

"Damn her. She nearly blew it all," he spat at the recollection of his Sorceress' final blow to her SeeD attackers. "And you! I thought I'd taught you better than to just stand there when there's a bunch of big sharp objects flying your way!"

But a look at Squall's pale face made him realise how close his carefully cultivated plan had come to shattering. And how close he'd come to losing the one person he cared about.

"Ah, forget it," he sighed, making a dismissive gesture.

He grabbed the last clean towel from the bedside table and started to wipe the blood off his hands while taking a few steps to stretch his stiff legs. Unsurprisingly, playing nurse wasn't much of a cool down after battle.

Striding round the room like this, trying to take his mind off the evening's disastrous events, he noticed that it was actually quite large, and elaborately decorated, just like the rest of the Palace. Well worth a closer look, even if he'd had other things in his mind when he'd dubbed this room an impromptu hospital ward.

One wall was all stained glass windows with long curtains, while the others were covered by floor-to-ceiling dark wooden panelling sporting various mirrors. Opposite the door was the bed where Squall lay: a magnificent four-poster. The delicate embroidery on the sheets was pretty smudged up with blood, but, looking in the mirror closest to the bed and seeing a lean figure standing in the door opening behind him, he decided that that was really someone else's problem. He had bigger things to worry about.

"He lives?"

It wasn't a question. Not really. But Seifer tried to ignore the obvious displeasure and replied casually.

"Yeah, I don't think he'll chicken out anymore. But he'll be out like a light for a while."

In the mirror, he could see her approaching him. And then he felt the sharp sting of a knife pressing a little too hard against his skin of his back. Involuntarily, he straightened up.

"You should do well to show a little more respect, my Knight," she said gravely. "You have pushed your luck as it is."

The sting disappeared, and he saw her reflection withdrawing her hand from his back and sucking briefly on one of her long nails. So much for the knife-theory...

"Yes, my Lady. I understand."

She walked past him and stopped to look at the prone form on the bed. "Good. Now could you explain to me why you just spend half the night saving the life of a worthless SeeD, while you should have been attending to your Sorceress? I'm sure you noticed he and his men made an attempt on my life."

He had known this question would come, but he hadn't had time yet to prepare an answer. Telling the truth about Squall's significance was out of the question until he knew for sure if this woman was his Matron, or if she was someone else entirely. But he wasn't sure yet, and she wanted an answer now.

"Well?" she demanded impatiently.

Remembering the icicles, he just started off, hoping it would at least sound sensible.

"He's valuable, my Lady. He is… not just any SeeD, but the leader of this mission. He'll know who is behind the attempt on our life and what their back-up plan is."

She smirked viciously. "My dear Knight, the attack was ordered by elements in this country's government that do not agree with my presence. I do not need _him_ to tell me that. And as a mere soldier, he will not have any information on whatever else these elements, or Garden itself, are planning."

"But you do not know that for sure," he exclaimed, almost desperately.

The smirk disappeared instantly. "Are you doubting me, _my Knight_?"

Her look spelled 'icicles'. A swarm of 'em.

Seifer shook his head, winning a few heartbeats to come up with something sensible.

"No, my Lady. I'm only saying that he may know more than you expect him to. It would be a… _waste_ to throw this opportunity away if that should be the case."

"I see. And you deemed that reason enough to save his worthless life despite that fact that I had as good as finished the task I had set _you_ to do in the first place?"

He bowed his head and looked away, praying it would look as if he was ashamed, all the while feverishly thinking of a way of out the grave he'd dug himself.

"I…I failed you, my Lady," he started hesitantly. "But I couldn't… I couldn't…" _Think, Almasy, Think!_

She snorted, placing her hands in her sides.

"You… _couldn't_?" Her growing disdain for him was evident in every syllable. He had to win her trust, and he had to do it now.

"I _couldn't _just stand by while you, in your desire to destroy the SeeD, also destroyed the only chance I have of finding out about their plans and thus protecting you all the better!" he exclaimed. "That was why I didn't finish the SeeD off in the first place. They might prove useful!"

Silence rang loud after his outburst. Sorceress Edea pursed her lips and nodded slowly.

"Your point is valid, although I believe your faith in the SeeD's knowledge will prove unjustified." She stepped away from the four-poster, closing the distance between them with a few strides. "But I will give you the benefit of the doubt," she purred in his face, stroking his jawline with her longer fingers. "As to give you a chance to prove that _my_ faith in _you_ is not unjustified."

He tried, and failed, to ignore the ominous nail that trailed down his cheek, almost drawing blood again.

"You are too generous, my Lady. But I will prove to you that my only interest is for your safety and well-being."

"Then do not fail me again, my Knight. However, I know that you are just a boy, and that there are many things you still need to learn. So I will forgive you that this time you were not strong enough to kill the people you grew up with."

He couldn't prevent his shock reaching his face and eyes. His Sorceress only smiled warmly at the incredulous and horrified look on his face.

"Oh, don't look at me like that. Of course I know about that. This is the one who brought you up, after all."

Seifer opened his mouth to retort, but she placed a finger on his lips and hushed him.

"My Knight, love makes weak. It may not be what you were taught, but it is a fact that you will soon discover for yourself. For love, you hold back and do not strike a killing blow to those who were once close to you. But remember that they are SeeD, and may therefore not be allowed to live lest they try to kill me first. So every time you do not finish them off, you only postpone the inevitable."

He drew breath to speak, but her finger pressed firmly against his lips.

"And they won't even be grateful for your mercy, my Knight. For to all ends and purposes, you are their enemy now, are you not? You serve the Sorceress they seek to destroy, and as such they will expect nor appreciate kindness from you."

She gave him another smile before, suddenly, all warmth drained from her face, and hate was evident in her eyes as she continued.

"Yet if you still wish to show them mercy, then don't prolong their suffering. Or your own, for I will not tolerate such disobedience again!"

To stress her warning, she scratched her nail over his lips and then withdrew a pace.

He licked his lips, tasting the blood.

Her point was poignantly clear to him. He was in this for the long haul, and she was in no hurry to show him any more mercy than she had President Deling, who had been unceremoniously killed at the start of the parade. He was quickly running out of other options than just playing the part he had let her pin him in.

"I assure you, my Lady, that I hold no love for him," he gestured to Squall's unmoving form," or any other of these people. My loyalty lies with you and you alone."

A cruel smile spread on her lips, and for a moment he feared she had detected the faint tremor in his voice. But instead of exercising her threats for intolerance, she walked to the doorway.

"Good. You may prove worthy after all. Now, transport this SeeD and his comrades to the D-District Prison in the desert. If what you say is true, then I have no doubt that they will gladly tell us all they know. I expect that as a soldier, you, too, know that everyone talks under the strain of torture." She paused just outside the door, and narrowed her eyes at him. "Everyone."

* * *

You know the drill: Please review! 


	8. Wind breaker

A/N: Those of you who read this chap before may notice it's been reloaded and slightly altered (mostly for the sake of continuity between this chap and the next).

**

* * *

Part 8 – Wind breaker **

Galbadia's detention facility for political prisoners, the D-District Prison, was as hostile on the inside as it was on the outside. Situated in the middle of the Galbadian Desert, its three towers of detention blocks were surrounded by miles and miles of unforgiving, scorching sand. But the prisoners weren't much better off inside its walls.

Behind the desk that made up his make-shift office in this place, Sir Seifer Almasy mentally went over his 'things to do' list. There were more items on it than a child's birthday wish list, and it made him all the happier to know that his old posse had come all the way out here to find him.

Fuujin and Raijin, his friends and 'posse' from Garden, were also SeeD cadets, but had abandoned Garden and come to their friend's aid. And the fact that neither had even taken a SeeD exam yet had helped him to convince Sorceress Edea that their loyalty lay with him and not Garden. His Lady had allowed their presence, albeit reluctantly.

It felt good to have back-up from people he knew so well, and who he trusted with his life. They had always stood by him, no matter the trouble it got them into, and it seemed that his newfound Knighthood was no different. Their loyalty was as heart-warming as it was heartbreaking, since he'd never told anyone the true nature of his plans, not even them. Still, they trusted him blindly, and he them.

But it also meant there were another two people for who he was personally responsible. Another two people he cared about and who he wanted to see through these events unscathed.

It made it all the harder for him to complete the execution of his latest orders.

He scanned the document in front of him. He'd started making preparations, but those were now at a point where he'd stalled them with the excuse of 'waiting for the opportune moment'. All there was left for him to do was give the right order to the right officer, and his Lady's wishes were fulfilled. But his lady's desires were unorthodox at best. 'Murderous' was a better word to describe them and that didn't exactly inspire him to give her what she wanted, regardless of the penalties he'd face if he'd refuse to see this through…

Then the door opened. Fuujin strode in, stood to attention before him and announced the completion of the tasks he'd entrusted her: getting Squall to spill information on the SeeD's plans, without damaging him more than necessary.

"CONFESSION," she simply declared.

Seifer looked from his work, taking a split second to place her cryptic message. "Did he now?" he finally said with half-hearted sarcasm. "Was it any good?"

"NEGATIVE."

He leaned back in his chair. "You've got me curious now, Fuu."

She raised her brows, but still proceeded to recite their prisoner's confession. In her own way, of course.

"GROW FLOWERS. WEAKEN PEOPLE. TAKE OVER."

He blinked a few times, working it out in his mind.

"Let me get this straight. Leonheart wants to grow flowers?"

"NEGATIVE. SEED."

"Okay, so SeeD wants to grow flowers. And then weaken people?"

"AFFIRMATIVE."

"With the flowers."

"AFFIRMATIVE."

He smirked despite himself. "And then they want to take over. The world, I presume?" he chuckled, raising his brow incredulously.

"AFFIRMATIVE."

His chuckles exploded in to roaring laughter, which despite its mirth lasted only a few seconds. "Priceless! I had no idea Leonheart actually had a sense of humour." He grinned, but it faded almost immediately again. "But you're right: his confession is absolutely worthless. I've got no idea what SeeD was truly intended for, but I'm pretty sure this is not it."

Fuujin smirked back at him in obvious agreement, but straightened her face when his grew darker.

"And that means that either he is tougher than I expected, or he simply knows nothing."

"OTHER MEANS?" she suggested. "BLADES?"

He shook his head. "Already considered that. Sorceress Edea insisted on red hot irons or other things that inflict more permanent damage, too, but I convinced her that he can't tell us anything anymore if he doesn't survive our methods of inquiry. No, I'm thinking more along the line of psychological pressure, but I haven't come up with anything that'll guarantee results. And she is getting impatient."

He'd be biting his lip if he'd allow himself to lose his composure. _I've got to give her something soon, preferably _before_ she decides to subject me to an inquiry of her own_.

"FRIENDS?"

He looked at his comrade. At least she was trying to be helpful.

"Yeah, I've been thinking about that," he answered, and silently discarded the option immediately. _I'm not going to kill any of them if not for a _very_ good reason_. That was his heart speaking, but not without a very solid rational reason to back it up:

"The problem is that they are all SeeD," he explained. "They all know the risk of being a mercenary. I'm not sure if threatening to harm or kill their friends would have the desired effect."

The silver-haired girl nodded, but when no further response on his part came, she cocked her head and gave him a long, serious look.

"I'd expected you be enjoying this more, having Leonheart at your mercy like this," she finally said.

Now Fuujin always spoke loudly and in as few words as possible, that was true. The grapevine in Garden had it that she couldn't talk properly. Reality was that she could, but chose not to for reasons she wouldn't disclose, not even to her posse. But she did grant them the privilege of normal speech, usually as an invitation for a more in-depth conversation. Seifer gave her a faint smirk to acknowledge her words as such.

"My goal has always been to best him in battle, Fuu. Not electrocute him."

She raised her brows. "Then why torture him in the first place?"

Seifer got to his feet. "Because Sorceress Edea is very… persuasive in her arguments," he answered. "And she wants to hear what he knows about the plans plotted against her, as well as the true intentions of SeeD."

"Then why let the sharpshooter go? And that girl, too? They might have useful information. Or at least function as a lever to get Squall to talk." She eyed him intently when he only looked away. "Is it because she's your girlfriend?"

The statement drew a chuckle from him. "Hardly. Bedding a girl doesn't automatically make her my girlfriend. No, it's because her father's a Galbadian general who we'd like to keep on our side."

"And the cowboy sharpshooter?"

"Also politics. The cowboy's a Galbadian as well. Besides, the Heartilly girl needed an escort."

"Then why not send one or two soldiers with her. We've got plenty of them." Her silver brows knitted when gritting teeth were his only reply. "It doesn't sound very convincing, Seifer. Something's up and you're not telling us."

Angered by her questioning him on things he couldn't give her a satisfactory answer to, he slammed his fist on the table.

"I know what I'm doing, Fuujin," he hissed. "I know Edea wants the SeeD dead, but we can't kill them now. Not just yet."

"Why not?"

"Because…"

He was interrupted by a guard bursting into the room.

"Sir! The SeeD prisoners have broken out and are trying to escape the facility, sir!"

Seifer narrowed his eyes and forced himself to keep a straight face, pleased to find that the SeeD did exactly as he had anticipated.

"Sound the alert," he ordered the guard. "And stop them!"

The guard saluted and sprinted out the door. Fuujin made ready to follow him.

"You stay here!" Seifer commanded her before she could leave. "The guards can handle this."

She turned around and frowned at him. "These are SeeD, Seifer, not the average street rats! The guards'll need all the help they can get to stop them!"

"You'll do no such thing!" he hollered, and she froze, shocked at his outburst. She had seen him act this way before, of course. He had a reputation for it. But until now, she had never been at the receiving end of his fury.

He noticed her reaction, but only his eyes mellowed a fraction. "If they're strong enough to fight their way out of this place," he told her, more quietly now, "Then we'll let them."

She gave him an incredulous look. "What? And what about the Sorceress' anger you're so afraid of?"

"She'll only take it out on me. And in this case I'm willing to risk it."

He picked up the paper with his new orders and handed it to Fuujin. Her single eye glued to the lines written on it, she didn't even start when without prior warning, the prison's siren started wailing. When she had read the document twice, she looked up at him, her face showing true, wordless horror.

He gave her a compassionate look as he took the paper back. "Like I said, Fuu. We can't kill them just yet. Let them escape if they can. This," he tapped the paper, "is not something I want to take responsibility for. But I can't disobey her. And that leaves Squall and his SeeD as our only hope of preventing this massacre from taking place."

* * *

And we go straight on! 


	9. Flying high, faling hard

This chapter was Hell to write. The capital H is justified, believe me... After rewrite on rewrite on rewrite, this is version 3628 or thereabouts. Let me know what you think! Enjoy. **

* * *

Part 9 – Flying high, falling hard**

The office's large windows offered a beautiful view of the landscape just outside Galbadia Garden. The blue sky was only erratically disturbed by hazy clouds, and the sun made the glass of the windows sparkle. But Seifer saw none of it.

Sitting in the Garden Commander's office, which was now his, he gazed out the window, but none of what he saw truly reached him. In front of him were the various reports he troops send from around the globe. Their contents reminded him yet again of how amazingly little it took to go from being in control to having nothing left to fight for.

Eventually, when push came to shove, he hadn't been able to avoid executing the orders she's given him. Perhaps he shouldn't even have hoped he'd be able to change the tide she had set in. So he had ended up making Galbadia Garden their headquarters, killing everyone who resisted. And he had done what he had dreaded most: launch missiles at the Garden academies in Trabia and Balamb.

His Lady's wishes were as simple as they were far-reaching. All SeeD were to be destroyed, period. He'd did all he could think of to stop the senseless massacre of the Garden academies. The populations there consisted mainly of under-aged students, and where slaying soldiers in her name was one thing, murdering children was something else entirely.

But his trump card had proved completely ineffective: Allowing Squall and his friends to escape had been all he'd dared to risk, but had done ill than good. The SeeD hadn't been in time to stop the missiles. He told himself that they could never have made it on time, even if they had caught on to the rumours and had gone to stop the launch.

So now he was plagued by a nagging uncertainty on where the SeeD now were. Where Squall was… SeeD always turned to the nearest Garden when in trouble. But Trabia Garden had been destroyed by the time they'd gotten out of the prison and Galbadia Garden had fallen in enemy hands. That left Balamb Garden, but if they'd gone back there, they had probably got caught in the missile bombardment.

There was one other option. If they'd gone to the missile base, like he had at first hoped they would…

He didn't dare to think about that possibility. The last communiqué they'd received from the base came in right after he, under Edea's scrutinizing eyes, had authorized the missiles at Balamb to be fired. The message had come from the central computer announcing that the self-destruct sequence had been initiated. Sabotage, of course. He had counted on the base being compromised. But according to the reports, the explosion in the compound had left no survivors.

And that meant that all evidence pointed out that Squall was most probably dead…

Squall… Gone… He hadn't had the time yet to get his mind around that idea, or the consequences it entailed. Hadn't want to, either. He couldn't decide whether he was furious or sad. Both feelings battled for the upper hand, but it usually ended in a stalemate of apathy. Like now… And to make matters worse, the whole series of events had earned him a severe heart-to-heart with his Sorceress.

Although she didn't seem to suspect his slow reaction to the SeeD's jailbreak to be deliberate, she wasn't too happy with the results of the missile attack. Most prominently about the fact that Balamb Garden had survived the impact and was last seen at Fisherman's Horizon, apparently to figure out how the facility's standard-but-as-yet-never-used hover propulsion worked. All Gardens had hover propulsion, but it wasn't exactly common knowledge. Sorceress Edea had known about the mechanism somehow, so Galbadia Garden was mobile these days, too. And for a good reason, too: his new orders said he was to use this new feature to destroy Balamb Garden in an all-out attack.

And then she told him things he really didn't want to think about. About who she really was. Learning that had dissolved his last shreds of hope for a happy ending to this mess.

Staring empty-eyed at the horizon, he knew that should worry about his Lady hanging like Damocles' sword over the world, instead of contemplating Squall's unconfirmed death or his own feelings of guilt. She was up to no good and the one person he knew could stop her was believed to be dead. Still, pointless as it seemed, he had decided to keep fighting her for as long as he could, even if he would die trying. Whored-out as his principles were, he hadn't lost _all_ sense of honour just yet…

He was rudely awakened from his thoughts when someone knocked loudly on the door. It startled him for a moment, but he was completely composed when the door opened.

Fuujin and Raijin.

He'd almost forgotten about them, and the mission he'd send them on. He'd delegated one of Edea's less dangerous orders to them, hoping it would take them far enough from her not to get involved if things suddenly went all mushroom-shaped. He was enough of a murderer without having their lives on his hands, too.

"Back already?" It came out a lot harsher than he'd intended, but he was truly surprised to see them.

Raijin, in his continuous optimism, just grinned. "We can be quick if we want to, y' know. Besides, you said you wanted regular updates on our progress."

"Not necessarily in person," Seifer stated grimly as he got to his feet.

They were used to his harshness, but this was cold, even for him. They looked at him with puzzled faces. Then Fuujin gave him a stern glare in return.

"NEWS. URGENT." Her eye flared as she spoke at the tone she always used when she wanted to convince him to listen. It worked.

Seifer bit back a snappy answer, and chose for a more agreeable tone of voice. "So urgent you couldn't just fax it, like the other reports?" he said, trying his best to sound less irritated. They deserved better than him taking his frustrations out on them.

Fuujin shook her head. "CONFIDENTIAL," she stated with a resolute swipe of her hand. Then her face softened. "And personal..."

They exchanged gazes for a moment. It was clear from his posse's eyes that whatever it was they wanted to tell him, it was serious. And he knew better than to ignore that, no matter his own problems. Folding his arms, he directed his full attention to them. "Okay, let's hear it."

"Well," Raijin started. " 'Bout the mission. We haven't found that girl you told us to find. That Ellone's giving us the slip, y' know. But we did find something else, y' know."

Seifer merely nodded, more than used to his friends' speech habits.

"BALAMB GARDEN," Fuujin elaborated.

"It's mobile now, y'know. Like Galbadia Garden. And it came to Balamb City when we were searching that place, y' know."

"So I've heard," Seifer said flatly. "I've already got orders to destroy Balamb Garden."

"That's not going to be easy, y' know," Raijin warned without missing a beat. Obviously they already anticipated that answer.

Seifer let out a cruel laugh. "I've got the whole Galbadian Army at my disposal. Headmaster Cid can lead a school, perhaps. But he can't lead an army, let alone stand up against a full-scale assault."

It spiked him that his friends didn't seem to share his sense of confidence…

"NEGATIVE. SQUALL."

"Yeah, Squall's in charge there now, y' know!"

… and with good reason, too. He froze.

"What!"

Raijin shrugged nervously. "Squall's leading the SeeD now. We met 'im, y' know. He kicked our butts, but he lets us go afterwards, y'know."

Seifer didn't move. It was all he could do to breathe. Squall was alive after all! And in charge of Balamb Garden no less!

Suddenly there was hope. Hope for the future, hope of everyone he cared about getting out of this situation alive. Squall's skills and abilities had surpassed his every expectation. He couldn't help but feel proud of his 'little brother'. But none of that feeling showed on his face.

"So Squally-boy's got himself an army, has he?" he said with well-practised sarcasm. "Ha, we'll see if it stands against my forces."

"MESSAGE," Fuujin's voice cut him off.

Raijin nodded. "Yeah, Squall asked us to give you a message, y' know."

Seifer let the words sink in before turning to listen. Squall gave them a message? Probably a signed and sealed request for him to go to hell.

But then Fuujin gave him an eerily compassionate glance. "STOP."

He frowned, genuinely puzzled. "Stop what?"

"He wants you to stop being the Sorceress' Knight, y' know," Raijin explained. "He said it'll just get you into more trouble, 'cause he ain't gonna hold back next time."

Seifer had the feeling his insides were burned by ice. His hand reached up to the scar between his eyes, as he remembered what it signified. Hearing that his rival was alive had stirred more hope that it should have: an idle hope for something he had no right to hope for. Squall hated him, and that was all there was to it.

"So he wants me to surrender? I thought he'd know better than to think I'd give up without a fight!"

"He knows too well you won't, Seif. That's why he wanted _us_ to ask you, y' know. He was hoping you'd listen to us." The big man looked at his feet for a moment. "And so were we, y' know."

* * *

Fingers crossed that Chapter 10 is not going to take me six weeks to finish... And don't forget to R&R! No one can improve without feedback. 


	10. The Wind in Your Face

Chapter 9 was one of those chapters that give you so much trouble you just want to give up and go home. But I resisted the urge, and this is the result. (Other than previous chapters, this one continues right where chap 9 left off.)

Enjoy!**

* * *

**

**The wind in your face**

Everything in the room seemed to turn to ice. The general atmosphere, their conversation, and the look in his eyes. Seifer Almasy didn't take kindly to betrayal.

"And so were you?" he demanded, face set in stone. "If Leonheart should know me better than to think I'd just throw in the towel, then the two of you definitely should!"

Raijin backed off. "We do! We do! It's just that… Things are getting kinda dangerous, y'know."

He narrowed his eyes. "I'm well aware of the situation, thank you."

Fuujin huffed and crossed her arms. "EGOTISTICAL," she stated loudly, more anger in her voice than usual. Her choice of word pushed a button.

"Oh, so you think I'm being egotistical, do you!" Seifer roared. "Then let me tell you just how egotistical I am!" Angry and above all disappointed by their lack of confidence, he raised himself to his full height. He felt a sensation in his chest that hadn't been there for a long time: Fire. The fire of passion, and the fire of his magic. It roared inside of him, rekindling his hope and determination until it had become a blazing fire storm. It reminded him of who he was, what he was doing it all for.

"Let me tell you the things that you don't know. That Squall doesn't know," he hissed, eyes ablaze. Raijin took a few more steps back, cowered by Seifer's presence despite his own strength. Fuujin remained motionless, but her face showed the apprehension that her stance would not. She knew very well when her friend was dangerous, and this was one of those moments.

"I have reasons to do what I do," he stated sharply. "And not all of them are obvious. For one, things aren't what they seem. Least of all the Sorceress. I know Edea Kramer, and this is not her. It may be her body, but it's not her mind that controls it."

"Wha…?"

He cut Raijin's question short with a dismissive gesture. "Don't ask me how, 'cause I don't know. I only know _why_. And it's not pretty."

"WORLD DOMINATION?"

His sneer affirmed the worst.

Raijin looked shocked. " But…? Then why do you help her?"

Brightly lit eyes locked on the strongman's face, but they hesitated to answer. Should he tell them? Make them accomplices to his plans? The less they knew, the easier it would be to keep them out of harm's way. But the less they knew, the harder it would be to regain their confidence…

Then it would have to be that way.

"I made an oath to protect," he told them decidedly. "And I will keep it. That doesn't mean that I'll do anything she tells me to without thinking for myself, though. Obviously that's what Squall thinks, and the two of you seem to believe him. Yes, I am going to follow my latest orders to destroy Balamb Garden, but not without making sure the battle plan's got holes the size of Centra!"

Fuujin frowned, looking less apprehensive now. "DANGEROUS."

"Yeah, your lady ain't gonna be happy with that, y'know," Raijin chimed in. It made Seifer smirk. The big guy was always braver when Fuujin took the lead.

"My Lady is my concern," Seifer stated as a matter of fact. And it was. The Sorceress was his prime concern again now that Squall was alive and accounted for. What she was up to. What she might do to him if she found out about his betrayal. But his friends needn't know that she wanted to destroy the world rather than dominate it. If his plans failed, they would find out soon enough.

"NEGATIVE," Fuujin suddenly exclaimed, jabbing a finger at his chest. "YOU. OURS."

"Fuujin's right. You are our concern, y' know," came Raijin's translation.

Endearing and fucking frustrating at the same time. It just strengthened his resolve.

"I know what I'm doing," he told them, fire flaring in his eyes once more. "And I know what I'm dealing with. It'll be difficult, and it'll be dangerous, but I know how to pull this off without anyone getting caught in the fray. All I need is for you two to trust me, hard as that is."

Hearing himself talk, he sounded so damn confident. He'd even believe himself if not for the fear nagging at the back of his mind. But his posse didn't know about his fears. They didn't know all the scary details he knew. And in their innocence they nodded, placing their trust with him once more.

He nodded in return, a silent confirmation of their mutual agreement. The passion, no longer needed at this moment, retreated again and his eyes lost their reddish glow. "Go now," he added. "I still need you to find that girl Ellone."

They saluted him, and turned to leave. But then they stopped, and Raijin whispered something in Fuujin's ear. She nodded in reply and remained where she was while her companion walked out the door. Seifer saw this and frowned.

"What's the meaning of this?"

Fuujin solemnly turned her head. "We're worried about you, Seifer."

He eyed her warily. "No need to. Like I said, I know what I'm doing."

"Are you sure? You speak of following and yet disobeying your orders to destroy Balamb Garden. I can't help but feel I've heard that before."

His eyes narrowed, but he didn't retort.

She sighed. "What do you think you're doing, Seifer? You serve the Sorceress, but you keep trying to shelter Garden and the SeeD from the storm. Don't you see that clinging to both can only cause pain to everyone involved?"

"Hardly," he growled. "It's the only way to save everyone involved."

"Save them? How? Like you tried to save Trabia Garden?"

The fire was back in an instant and roaring louder than before. She was wrong! He knew it. "I did what I could to save them," he hissed through clenched teeth.

She shook her head dismissively. "It's not what you did. It's what you failed to do. And you failed to do what was right."

That was it. With two long strides he closed the distance between them. "It was a test of faith," he snarled in her face. "My faith in her decisions, and her faith in my loyalty! What else was I supposed to do, ey? If I didn't fire those missiles, she'd have killed me there and then and found herself another Knight!"

Fuujin tilted her head, observing him intently in silence. "I think you're just saying that to justify your actions to yourself. You could have refused. A true knight in shining armour would have, and you know it." Despite her accusation, her single eye looked back with compassion as he'd never seen directed at him before.

His rage drained as fast as it had come up. Ashamed and angry at himself, he looked away, his fists clenching and unclenching while his jaw worked. Minutes ticked by in silence.

"You're right," he finally said, very quietly. "A true knight would have turned against his lady to protect the innocent, no matter what the consequences." Slowly, he turned his head and restored eye contact. "But maybe, if you look at things from that perspective, I'm not a true knight. I don't serve the common good, you see. I have sworn to protect and serve only one person."

All compassion on her face instantly made way for disbelieve.

"What? But…then what about your dream? Your romantic dream to protect the innocent?"

Yes, that was what he had told them. Protect the innocent. He had never mentioned that 'the innocent' was never meant to be plural, and for all they knew he hated Squall as much as Squall hated him. A truly fucked-up situation, if he thought about it. Nothing romantic about it…

"The dream is still there," he finally answered her. "It just turned out to be a lot less glorious than I had imagined. But I'm gonna go through with it anyway. I have to. I swore an oath, remember?"

She seemed to consider that. "And, is it worth it? Is keeping your promise worth the pain and the trouble?"

He ran over it in his head, weighing the consequences of his actions like he had so many times before. And like all those time, he came to the same conclusion. "Yes, it is," he answered in earnest.

Fuujin nodded, her silver bangs dancing. "If it's that important to you, then we'll help you to see it through. That is our promise."

"Fuu…"

With a rare smile, she pressed her finger against his lips. "Shh, we're a posse, remember?"

* * *

That's is for today! Chapter 11 shouldn't take very long (I know that's a dangerous thing to say...) Don't forget to R&R! 


	11. Gale

Yep, I'm still alive and so is this fic. And I WILL finish it, too! Okay, never mind that, I'm talking to myself more than anything else.

Thanks to everyone who's still reading and/orreviewing Seifer's dive into his self-inflicted Very Messy Situation!

Just a little note I'd like to get off my chest: I know the story may seem a bitconfusing. A less condensed version might have been better, I realise now, but as I'm writing this in between financial reports and organisation manuals as it is, I'll just continue in the same style.

Back to the chapter at hand: Face off in Galbadia Garden! Enjoy!

**

* * *

**

**Part 11 – Gale**

The last few days had been eventful. Fuujin and Raijin had requested to stay in Galbadia Garden before continuing their mission to find Ellone. They thought he could use some extra supporting officers in the upcoming battle between the two remaining Gardens. Not entirely untrue, especially with the confusion and mistrust he expected among his forces: As he had promised his friends, Seifer had devised a plan of attack which even Balamb Garden, with more cadets than adult SeeD, could counter.

And Balamb Garden had countered, better than he had dared to anticipate. Better than he had even considered conceivable.

Better than he could afford in the face of the Sorceress…

"I'm not impressed by your results, Seifer."

Sorceress Edea sat on her throne in the Master Room of the thoroughly shaken Galbadia Garden, fully composed but her eyes drilling into her Knight's face.

Seifer growled, hoping it would convince her that he wasn't in the least pleased with the outcome of the battle either. "I hadn't expected they'd ram us. Balamb is supposed to consist only of students and instructors without tactical insight!"

She made a point of inspecting her long, sharp nails. "Obviously you underestimated their capabilities," she said ominously. "It's not the first time you haven't delivered what you promised me, is it?"

In return, he made of point of ignoring the hidden threats and listening intently to what was going on outside. The sounds of a lock opening told him someone was at the door.

"They're coming, my Lady," he announced, although he was pretty sure she had already come to that conclusion herself. "I won't let them win, not this time!"

She glared at him. "I hope for your sake that you can make good on that promise, _boy_."

He took a deep breath, clearing his mind for what was coming.

The door slid open, admitting three SeeD. Seifer immediately recognised them: Squall had come himself, bringing Zell and Quistis along for support. A shiver of anticipation ran down his spine and the adrenaline level in his blood increased a few notches. He drew Hyperion from its sheath and straightened himself, all the while looking at the SeeD.

They hung back a bit, no doubt to check their junctions and magic stock. Apparently they expected this fight to be a heavy one.

And it would be exactly that, if only because he couldn't fail to impress the Sorceress this time, and he had no plan whatsoever to prevent serious damage to _both_ parties. Either he'd lose, or he'd slay Squall and his friends. Neither was an option, and there lay the challenge. Being caught like this made his blood rush. The fire magic inside licked his being with invisible flames of power and his eyes flared up. His only plan was to fight, improvising along the way. It would just be another duel.

And that riled him up.

"You guys shouldn't have," he called out to the SeeD in mock-disappointment. "I was gonna come visit you at my old home."

Squall's eyes narrowed as he approached. "Shut up," he demanded factually.

Seifer met his rival's cold demeanour with a trademark smirk. "Did you guys come to fight Matron? After all she's done for us?" _I remember our childhood, Squall. Do you, too? _

None of the three before him rose to the bait. Still he could see in their eyes that they knew what he was talking about. They remembered now where they all came from. It made their present stand-off all the more awkward, for all of them.

Seifer ignored the budding sentimentality. These people were here for his blood. There was no doubt that they would get it, too, but he would serve it boiling.

"Hey Chicken-wuss," he grinned at Zell, falling flawlessly back into his role as schoolyard bully. "Lot's happened between us, eh?"

The martial artist clenched his fists. "Yeah! And I'm dying to get even!"

Seifer squinted slightly, scrutinizing the younger soldier. _Don't be so eager to die, Zell. You just might get what you asked for._

Then he turned to blonde at Squall's other side. "Instructor Trepe, I'm still you dearest student, aren't I?"

She shook her head. "Not anymore."

"It's too late, Seifer," Squall cut in, looking pissed off and impatient. "You can't mess with our minds. To us, you're just another enemy, like one of those monsters."

That cut. Deeply.

"You're comparing ME to one of them?" Seifer let out a cruel laugh to hide the faint cracks in his mask. Then he locked a stern, serious gaze at Squall. "I ain't no monster," he stated fiercely. "I'm the Sorceress' Knight!"

He could feel a nod of approval coming from the silence figure behind him. It almost convinced him that he did indeed hate the SeeD challenging him. His lips pulled up in a sneer. "And look at you," he spat, "Attacking like a swarm. _You_ guys are the monsters." With those words, he brought Hyperion around with a dramatic sway, a universal signal to stop talking and start fighting.

He felt exhilarated. Three against one, now there was a challenge!

The SeeD had hardly finished their second round of attack before Seifer had learned just how much they had improved since they last met. There was no need to really hold back like he had on the barge, but neither would there be need to deploy his 'secret weapon'. For now, his magic would just fuel his actions, not lead them.

In the first few swings, Squall nicked him twice while Quistis' whip had left a gash in his left arm. And he loved every second of it. With so much at stake, his adrenaline surged through him like wildfire. For this moment, he was invincible.

"Come on," he goaded them with his hand. "I'll show you who's the better man." _It should be you. Now convince me!_

There was a light flare in temper from all his adversaries, but no true response. They continued to attack him, and he retaliated. Fire spell after fire spell flowed from his hands while Hyperion drew blood where he allowed it. His moves were counters by a hail of spells and metal. They did damage, but not enough.

"Is that all you got?" he commented at their sweaty brows. He could tell they were wondering how come he hadn't buckled yet. _I can take a lot more than you can throw at me, Squall. _"I can't be beaten!"

That did get a reaction. Squall's lips moved, probably mouthing profanities that would make his rival proud. Quite battered, the younger gunblade specialist found the hidden reserves of strength to unleash his Limit Break.

Seifer took several well-aimed blows. It knocked the wind out of him, but he wouldn't yield. On the contrary. While Zell came to his friend's aid with a curative spell, Seifer grinned at them, careful not to show any sign of weakness.

"Ready to die, Squall? Kneel before me!" he yelled despite himself. It was time to show just how much leniency he had cut them until now.

A simple fire spell heralded a little trick he'd picked up recently. Keeping his blade level, he began to spin, faster and faster, heading towards the surprised SeeD. The one-man blade twister cut Zell severely before throwing the boy upwards with tremendous force. With one leap, Seifer made it back to his initial position, while Zell landed unceremoniously on the floor. Satisfied, he noted that the martial artist didn't get up right away.

The battle heated up now. The SeeD wanted this face-off to be over as soon as possible, and summoned their Guardian Forces to put a quick stop to it. Shiva and Diablos unleashed their powers on Seifer, slowly but surely driving him to his knees despite the potions he used to keep standing.

Finally, panting and leaning heavily on his blade, he looked up at his adversaries. The adrenaline rush was losing its effect and he couldn't postpone thinking about a way out of this situation any longer. He had to admit that he couldn't continue the fight without tapping into the magical force inside, but that might be too much for the SeeD to counter.

On the other hands, his Lady was watching. Watching and judging. If he gave up, she'd never trust him again. To regain her trust, he had to kill the one he had sworn to protect.

Was there even a choice?

"This can't be," he whispered hoarsely, sagging to the floor to exaggerate his injuries. "Why!"

His lament sounded unconvincing, even to himself, and it came as no surprise when he felt the Sorceress' anger with him even before he heard her.

"Worthless child."

The statement was simple and final. Then the only thing he heard was the hiss that her magic made as she teleported herself and left him to be finished by the SeeD.

For a moment, nothing happened. Then the floor started to resonate. Footsteps. Immediately, his heart was racing again, this time not for power but for panic. _They can't kill me now. He's not ready yet. Not yet! _

Then sounds stopped and the only thing he saw was a black leather boot with spur straps, right in front of his face. His heart skipped a beat and he jerked his head up, spraining several muscles in the process.

There, towering over him, stood Squall.

The young soldier's dark brows were knitted in a deep frown as he looked down at his enemy. He didn't speak, but his eyes asked the questions that he would not. They demanded an explanation for their rival's treacherous behaviour, for the torment, for the pain.

Seifer stared back. He saw the questions, but couldn't answer them, despite the fact that the answers might save him from his precarious position. But he had to warn Squall for what they were about to face.

"There's no way you guys can beat her…" he started. He drew breath to continue, to explain why not. But seeing the cold, spiteful look in Squall's eyes he knew it was no use trying to reason. Nothing he said could make them believe him. Squall meant what he had said about them being enemies.

Expecting justice to be swift and deadly, Seifer rested his body on the cold floor and waited for the final blow.

But it didn't come. Instead, after a few tense moments, the silence in the Master Room was broken by several pairs of feet running and the sound of sliding doors.

In the nowotherwise empty room, Seifer lay motionless. Closing his eyes, he felt unsure whether to be grateful for this unexpected act of mercy, or to be fearful of its consequences. Whichever way you looked at it, it would have hefty percussions, for better of for worse.

Probably for worse.

* * *

Someone's in over his head...But exactly _how_ far is that? R&R and you will find out ! 


	12. Windless

Yey, I managed to update. Thanks for the reviews!

Just to keep things clear, here's a note on the speech punctuation (although I swore never to resort to that): "..." is audiable speech and'...' is telepathy. And italics are flashbacks, but I bet you could have figured that out by yourself

I hope this new instalment lives up to your expectations. Enjoy!

* * *

**Part 12 – Windless **

He'd been walking a tight-rope since he had joined her, and now the rope had snapped. Not entirely surprising, if he was honest with himself. He had known the situation was bound to blow up at some point. And when it did, there had been no telling which way the shrapnel would go.

_She hadn't even granted him time to heal the wounds he had sustained in the first battle with the SeeD before pulling him through the floor of the Master Room and to her aid for round two. In this state, he wouldn't last long. Nor did he plan to, despite the show he put on out of habit. _

"_I am the Sorceress' Knight," he declared towards the SeeD. "You'll never… get past me. I can't afford to lose." _

_That last part was indeed true. Too bad from him, losing was also inevitable. If he didn't fall to the SeeD, then it would be his Lady who would make sure he would never get up again. _

But he'd again been wrong about their insistence to kill him, although it puzzled him why. Squall had again for some reason just left him alone after he fell, and the sorceress was obviously not done with him yet either.

_He lay still as the fight around him subsided, ending with a shriek from Edea. Did that mean that they had killed Matron to get to the sorceress? He didn't open his eyes to see. In his life, he'd seen enough corpses not to freak out at the sight of one, but he nevertheless felt no desire to find his foster mother lying dead beside him._

_So he just waited. Waited for what would happen next. He had expected something big and dramatic. Or at least something that made a sound. But nothing. He couldn't even hear his own heartbeat._

_Then, out of the blue, something touched his neck. A frail hand, probably belonging to a female, gently lifted his head and cold lips briefly brushed his. Involuntarily, his eyes snapped open. _

_Above him, her nose inches apart from his, was Rinoa. Rinoa, but not quite her, he noticed. Like Edea had not been quite herself. His breath hitched in his throat. _

"_Oh my loyal Knight, Seifer," the girl cooed with an eerie edge to her voice. "The sorceress is still alive. The sorceress demands." _

_Images entered his mind unbidden. A vast ocean, a huge dark structure beneath the waves, and a branching crystal pillar._

"_Find the legendary Lunatic Pandora said to be hidden beneath the ocean. Only then shall the sorceress provide you with your dreams again." _

_He wanted to object. What did she know of his dreams? He was done playing her puppet. If she wanted that lunatic thing so badly, she should go and get it herself. But then, behind Rinoa, or perhaps superimposed over the girl, he saw a woman smiling knowingly at him. Knowingly and cruelly, and it made his heart sink. _

_It was her. It was the sorceress he had seen as a little boy. He recognised her white hair, her back wins, and her tattooed face. Her intent eyes pierced his mind, exploring every inch of his mind and soul. And in return, he learned her name. Her real name._

"_As you wish, Ultimecia." _

_He got up. The game wasn't over yet. _

He'd done as she had asked him. It had taken him a whole freaking month, but still not bad considering his expedition had managed to salvage a city-sized construction from the bottom of the ocean. Even all its systems had been up and running in no-time, since the structure had proved to be water-tight.

So here he was, bound for the sorceress shrine Tear's Point in southern Esthar with this gigantic floating crate called Lunatic Pandora.

The name really said it all, as far as he was concerned.

Leaning heavily on the Pandora's main bridge console before him, Seifer watched the revitalised screens display information on altitude, speed and global location, as well as a number of other things that meant absolutely dick to him. This contraption was way ahead of its time in every way.

But it was the global location that he was most interested in. It had been a long trip crossing the Esthar continent, but now the blip on the screen told him they were coming up over Tear's Point. He gave the order to reduce speed in order to halt right over the shrine. Once they were in position, he would activate the crystal pillar inside the Pandora. After that, all they had to do was wait.

Seifer knew his history. He knew what would happen as soon as he flipped the switch that controlled the pillar's energy supply. Lunatic Pandora would create an energy bridge between the planet and the moon by which the monsters that inhabited the moon could make their way down to the planet's surface. Scientists referred to it as the Lunar Cry. It had happened before, years ago. Back then, its results had left the entire continent of Centra in shreds…

But this time, Ultimecia had ensured him, something more would come down in the stream of monsters. Something the Pandora was supposed to intercept. Something that was vital to her plan: the Sorceress Adel.

Seifer smirked listlessly. He'd never voluntarily haul anything that dangerous on board, but the bitch was clever. She played everything and everyone like an instrument, letting them believe they were in control when she was actually orchestrating everything from behind the scenes. Edea had just been a pawn in her plan. He had been another. And he had fallen for her tricks, hook line and sinker.

'I'm watching you carefully, my Knight. I see the Pandora is in place?'

He cringed slightly. There was no getting used to someone using your mind like a fucking intercom.

'Yes, my Lady,' he answered without a sound, knowing she could hear his every thought.

'Then aktivate it. All is ready. Let the Lunar Kry begin!'

His hand went up to a big red button at the centre of the panel. As soon as he pressed it, the sound of machines buzzing to life made the entire structure resonate.

'Very good,' her accent-laden voice rang in his head. 'For now, I do not need the girl, so I kan give you my full attention.'

He quickly suppressed a thought that would come out as a sarcastic 'oh joy' if voiced. Ever since Ultimecia had given up possessing Edea's body, she had been inside his mind, only leaving him some privacy when he needed to control someone else. She knew every bit of him by now, even the thoughts and feelings he had so desperately tried to hide from everyone. His plan, his dream, his devotion. It was bad enough that she knew about that, but to add insult to injury, she was humouring him, too…

'I did not kall you 'my loyal knight' for nothing, Seifer. You are a Knight, and you are loyal, even if not to me. But right now, you know you don't have a choice but to do my bidding, don't you?'

He snarled. Ultimecia was right, and he hated it. Their connection gave him some knowledge of her, too. That way, he had found out why she required subjects to posses. Projecting your mind to another time is one thing, but even she couldn't move her body through time. That posed a problem to her considering she lived several centuries into the future.

But that fact also meant that she couldn't be killed in this time and place. Whoever was to slay her would have to travel to her future to kill her body. In order words, Squall would have to time travel, and the only possible way to do that was when all times existed simultaneously…

The sorceress chuckled at his frustration. 'And I am the only one who kan akkomplish a time compression like that. Lucky for you, I was already planning on doing this. Isn't it lovely? To help your precious Skuall, you will have to help me first.' Her enjoyment was obvious.

He snorted. 'Yeah, too bad the downside is that _you_ want to use that time compression of yours to wipe out all existence.'

'Yes, one of life's little ironies, is it not? But I will enjoy having the world to myself. Oblivion is no more than you puny insekts deserve.'

Seifer growled out loud. This whole sorceress-situation was all turning out to be so fucking much more complicated that he had ever anticipated. It almost made him wish he had never decided to see this plan of his through. Almost. He was still Seifer Almasy, after all.

Suddenly, Lunatic Pandora shook mightily. He grabbed the nearest railing he could find to keep himself upright, and then glanced at the screens which were now flashing and bleeping. The Lunar Cry had reached the planet, and the resulting stream of monsters was engulfing its beacon.

Then he noticed a tiny white speck in the convulsing red flow coming from the moon.

'Adel's cryo-seal,' Ultimecia's voice explained. 'The Pandora must intercept it!'

Seifer pursed his lips defiantly. 'Really? Must it now?'

A jolt of pain tore through his cranium. 'Idiot! Do as you are told!' she screeched while she bypassed his mind to instruct his fingers to press a button on the console.

Through a haze of pain, Seifer saw that another monitor sprung to life and showed how crystalline branches shot up from the pillar, embraced Adel's seal and pulled it into the Pandora's core.

'Finally, Sorceress Adel,' Ultimecia crowed as everything went quiet again. 'Now I kan begin the final stage of my plan.'

"Like Hell," Seifer hissed at her between clenched teeth. He was not going to sit here and let her go about her business. Not just yet...

* * *

This story is really taking me to writers' hell and back... Please R&R and let me know what you think! 


	13. Back Draft

Thanks for reviewing, people! I really appreciate it!

When we last left Seifer, Ultimecia started using his head as an intercom, Lunatic Pandora was in place, the Lunar Cry had begun, and the Pandora had scooped Adel's seal from the cascade of monsters. Time to find out what happens next.

Enjoy!

* * *

**Part 13 – Back Draft**

Unpleasantly surprised, Seifer's eyes widened. Upon exiting the bridge of Lunatic Pandora, he found the structure's hallways crowded by dozens of monsters, ranging in size and strength from geezards to dragons. Apparently the Pandora had sucked in a fair amount of creatures when it intercepted Adel's seal, and now they were obstructing his path. And he had so little time to begin with.

"Oh, fuck it," he sighed angrily, drawing Hyperion and summoning his magic to his hands. Then he stepped into the hallway leading away from the bridge, meeting the choice of monsters head on.

But instead of challenging him, the monsters moved away. They didn't cower, but they backed off nonetheless. Some snarled at him as he passed between them, but none of them attacked. Proud as he was, Seifer was still not stupid enough to believe that he alone had that effect on the creatures.

"They're turning away from you, aren't they? I bet they can feel your presence inside me and want to run from you, like any sane being."

The sorceress' only answer was an angry silence. It was answer enough. Still, he was cautious not to lower his defences just yet. The last thing he needed now was some big fat Behemoth with a change of heart.

He made it to the Pandora's core without incident. Fortunately, no monsters had made it to this part of the structure, so he had his hands free to deal with Adel. She still hung in the seal's cryo chamber, arms folded and head bowed. But her red eyes were blinking and her fingers were already moving in the rapidly melting ice. It wouldn't be long before she was free again.

There was no time to lose. He ran up to the seal's console and quickly examined the buttons. There was a number pad, but he guessed a code was only needed to unlock it, not to lock it. Frantically, he searched for a button to relock the seal, trying to fight off a sudden and very insistent headache.

'No! You kan't do that!' Ultimecia screamed furiously in his mind, bombarding him with a blinding pain while trying to take over his body. 'I will not let your silly ideas of protekting your ward get in the way of my plan!'

It took him every bit on concentration he had to wedge a window of clear thought between her onslaughts, but using his fire magic as leverage, he somehow managed it. He could feel her surprise when she lost her foothold in his head. It gave him the clarity he needed.

"Think, Ultimecia," he retorted vocally. "You told me you can't complete your plan without Ellone. If Adel wakes up now, you'll have to posses her to control her until the time is right. If you do, you thus lose control over me. And we both know you can't trust me…"

He paused for a moment, examining the console while letting that idea sink in with her. To his satisfaction, she didn't reply with anything more than reluctant curiosity. She knew he had a point.

"Or," he continued, eyes still fixed on the buttons, "you can leave her here until Ellone is brought here and everything is set, so you won't have to lose control over me." He could feel her silent protest and another jolt of pain shot through his head. Of course she was angry. She knew he wanted to reseal Adel to buy not Ellone but the SeeD time to arrive. But there was another way of looking at the situation.

"Don't be stupid, Ultimecia. That girl you possessed, Rinoa, is with the SeeD. Like me, she knows who, what and where you are, and that means the SeeD know. So they know that they'll have to let you achieve time compression in order to get to you. Right now, all our goals –yours, mine and the SeeD's- are exactly the same." At that moment, he figured out the seal's controls and without waiting for her reaction to his proposition, he pressed the lock button.

There was no sound from Adel when her ice seal stabilised, holding her in place once again. Only her eyes glowed defiantly.

Ultimecia, too, was less than pleased. 'You will die for this!'

Having expected no less, Seifer wasn't impressed by her threat. "Don't give me that shit, lady," he bit back. "You're gonna kill me anyway, as soon as I've outlived my usefulness." He knew it was true. Oddly enough, the knowledge that the game was almost over was strangely liberating.

'Do as I tell you, and I might choose to let you live even after you have served your purpose…'

He laughed humourlessly. "You may know my mind, but I know yours. So don't lie to me. I'm man enough to handle the truth."

Seifer stepped back, bracing for Ultimecia's punishment for his insolence. But after a few moments, to his own surprise, he was neither dead nor writhing in pain. Instead, all he heard was her now calm and chilly voice whispering in his head.

'Are you?' she cooed softly. 'Kan you really handle the truth? Not about your future and the lack thereof, but the truth about yourself?'

He sneered at her while doubled checking if Adel's cryo-seal was holding. "Don't go changing the subject."

She chuckled. 'Am I? Remember, I kan look into your soul. I kan see things you do not even know about yourself. You say that you are a man, but when I look, I only see a skared little boy.'

"Not that old horse again," he sighed in exasperation. Over the last few weeks, he had gotten used to her attempts to manipulate him, but this time was different than before. Since he no longer had to keep up the appearance of being her Knight, he was now free to use sarcasm as his shield, like he always had.

But the shield only worked against assaults from others. It did absolutely nothing against what his own mind threw at him. And she knew that about him, too. Without warning, one after another image swamped his consciousness as she riled up his memories, some of which he didn't even know he had.

_Warm blood soaking his gloves as Hyperion pierces a man's chest, running him through. Terrified eyes losing focus as the body slacks on the blade. _

_Grey eyes, squinting, burning with hatred, and contrasting sharply against the red blood that runs from a fresh cut. _

_Missiles, fired at his command, exploding in Trabia Garden, slaughtering men, women and children as mere matchsticks._

_The same grey eyes, this time angry and defiant, but exhausted by torture._

_Bodies of comrades and class mates littering the blood-soaked Centran field beneath him, slain by his troops at his initiative. _

_Grey eyes again, now frowning, looking down on their defeated rival in hatred and disdain. "To us, you're just another enemy, like one of those monsters," they tell him._

_A burning village, people screaming, soldiers with machine guns shooting at random. Amidst the chaos is a small boy, covered in blood, crying over the dead bodies of his parents._

Through a haze of tears, he looked up at the frozen sorceress before him. This close up, he could tell that Adel was indeed the monster she was made out to be by the history books, corrupted by her powers when they had gone rogue. Involuntarily he shivered.

A monster… That was what Squall had called him. But was he? Was he really a monster for doing what was noble and right? For protecting the one he loved without claiming credit for it, no matter what the cost to himself? Wasn't that what a Knight was supposed to do? Maybe, but there was nothing noble about ordering the death of hundreds of people in order to protect one...

He hugged himself, willing his tears to stop, but not wiping them away. He felt stupid for having been so blind all this time. He had been so devoted to his romantic dream, to protecting Squall, that he hadn't wanted to see the price at which that dream was fulfilled. Save Squall from the Sorceress. Make sure he survives, no matter what.

No matter what… It's so easy to say if you don't know what it means.

But if he considered what might have happened if he hadn't done the things he did, his heart started pounding and his mind screamed, so loud that he felt it would rip his body apart. Fear. Mindless fear of losing what you hold dear. A fear that had possessed him ever since the night his parental house was raided, and which had held on to him relentlessly to this day.

It was this fear that had made him vow to protect his foster brother, who he had come to love so. The idea of Squall dying was numbing. It had been when he had expected it, after the missile base had blown up, but if he were to be confronted with it, actually seeing Squall's dead body, grey eyes sightless, skin cold to the touch…

He swallowed hard and pushed the image away. He would do anything, absolutely anything, to prevent ever having to go through that again, even if that meant sacrificing so many others to do it. Anything not to feel so lost and bereaved again…

He could feel Ultimecia stirring his mind again. This time, it triggered recollections of the various things Squall had said to him, and the look in his grey eyes when he spoke. Seifer had sworn to protect Squall, even if it meant his brother would hate him. That hatred was something he'd gladly suffer as long as Squall was alive to hate him. And that notion still held true.

But that insistence had also made sure that he had lost Squall forever…

The realisation hit him like a blow between the shoulders. If he won and Squall killed Ultimecia, he would still lose. What he had done in the name of love was unforgivable, and everyone he cared for would hate him for it. Not only Squall and the rest of the world, but Fuujin and Raijin as well. He had pushed them all too far already.

Seifer stared ahead, the true consequences of his actions sinking in. Yes, they resented him. Squall resented him. _"To us, you're just another enemy."_ Despite his efforts, or rather _because _of his efforts, he had lost Squall as surely as he would have lost him to death…

A single tear ran down his face. For the first time since he knew he would not survive the war, Seifer Almasy found himself actually wishing for death. There was nothing left to go back to, anyway. It was over, all over…

* * *

I've got half a dozen (mostly sarcastic) comments in my head now, but I'll refrain from writing them. After all, we know how this is going to end, right? Right? Or do we?

13 chaps down, 3 to go. Please R&R!


	14. Sigh for tomorrow never comes

IT'S ALIIIIIIIIVE! ...ahem... I mean, I'm still alive and so is this story. It's just that a recent promotion at work (yay!) has kept me from updating as soon as I'd like (bweee!). But then again, my prefered updating frequency is every other day, which is not very feasible at any rate...

Thanks for reviewing, people! Let's continue and see what happens to poor,demotivated Seifer.

Enjoy!

* * *

**Part 14 – Sigh for tomorrownever comes**

Waiting… It's never easy, unless you are waiting for the inevitable. So all he had done the last two weeks was waiting, waiting for all the pieces in the game to move into position. And now, as he was staring at what the Pandora's security cameras showed him, he knew that everything was all but ready for what he hoped would be the final act of this war.

There was Adel, who was stored safely on the next floor, ready to be released. Then there were the SeeD, bringing the newly initiated Sorceress Rinoa with them. And Fuujin and Raijin had brought Ellone to him just a few hours ago.

Having seen the illustrious girl now, he had the idea he should know her, although he couldn't remember what from. It didn't matter, either. The important thing was that now Ultimecia had everything she needed to accomplish her precious Time Compression, although it was completely beyond him how Ellone fit into that picture. It was just as obscure as why the bitch had suddenly decided she needed Rinoa in her temporal equation as well…

'Nor do you need to know,' came Ultimecia's sharp voice, resonating clearly in his head after days of silence.

Seifer eyes flared up momentarily as he used his magic to keep her from hurting him when she pressured him again. "I was almost beginning to miss your stings," he commented sarcastically.

She laughed. 'Why should I hang around to torture you, when you are doing such a good job of that yourself?'

Seifer had to admit she was right there. He was tired, in spirit more than in body. Lately, he'd been picking random fights with the monsters roaming the Pandora's hallways, all the while unsuccessfully convincing himself it was only time that he was trying to kill. His coat was bloody and in tatters, an effective reflection of how he felt.

Leaning on the bridge's console, in an attempt to ignore the sorceress' presence, he continued to stare at the monitors that fed him images of what was going on elsewhere in Lunatic Pandora. Currently, the screens were showing on huge red dragon-shaped ship lodged in a hole in the Pandora's side and a handful of SeeD beating his loyal posse into submission.

He wasn't afraid for his friends. The fight they put up for his sake was just that: only for his sake. They knew perfectly well they wouldn't win. It made him smile regardless. And as he had expected, they yielded to Squall and his comrades before long and gave the SeeD free way.

Mentally, Seifer prepared himself. He knew what these people wanted: his head on a stake, next to Ultimecia's. He considered surrendering, but what good would that do him? Trail and execution by some judge in a suit and a wig wasn't what he had in mind for his death, nor did he intent to let himself succumb to Ultimecia's torturous outtakes. He had lost everything, but not his pride. There were better ways to go for a warrior like himself. More noble ways.

All things considered, there was only one person who had the right to slay Seifer Almasy, only one who he would let himself fall to…

He lips twisted into a sarcastic smirk as the door opened, admitting Fuujin and Raijin to the bridge with Ellone in tow. The dark haired woman looked up at him, fear evident in her eyes. Once again, a spark of recognition lit up in the back of his mind, but it died before he could make head or tail of it.

'How kan you not remember someone so…essential in your motivations?'

He sneered, both at the young woman held by his posse and at the one in his head. 'Don't you mean, essential to _you_?'

Ultimecia chuckled unpleasantly. 'You truly are klueless…'

"_Where's Sis? I want Sis!" The small, sobbing boy looked up through the long chocolate-coloured bangs that hung in his face. _

"_Sis's gone," five-year-old Seifer answered angrily. "Now stop cryin'!" _

"_I want Sis!" _

"_Stop cryin'!"_

_The outburst only made the younger boy bawl louder. With fresh tears running down his face, he crawled into a nearest corner and hugged his legs. "I want Elle…" he whispered between sobs.._

Seifer blinked a few times, focussing once again on the present. He tried to pry Ultimecia's consciousness away from his own, but it was a half-hearted attempt. Still, her meddling had made him remember who the girl in front of him was: Elle. Ellone. Sis. The one who had reduced his little brother to a pathetic whimpering fool when he was supposed to become a valiant warrior.

The sneer on his lips became a snarl.

At that moment, the door of the bridge burst open for the second time. A very pissed off Squall came in, followed by Rinoa and Zell. They looked slightly flustered from having to fight their way up through monsters and security droids, but to Seifer's surprise and disappointment, none of them had their weapons at the ready. Did they really think he'd go down without a fight?

"We've come to take Ellone back," Squall demanded, cold and to-the-point as ever.

Seifer put on his mask of sarcasm and only smirked in reply. "Looks like we got company," he said to his posse. "Show 'em your hospitality."

The SeeD immediately drew their weapons and assumed battle positions. Raijin did the same, but Fuujin refused.

"RAIJIN, STOP!" she yelled. Her companion immediately complied.

Seifer frowned. He'd seen this coming. "What's up?" he inquired despite the fact he already knew the answer.

At hearing the question, Raijin glanced up, looking almost embarrassed. "We've had enough, y'know…" the big man said carefully.

Without waiting for the reaction of her friend and commander, Fuujin pushed Ellone towards the SeeD, barking a short order: "GO!"

In his head, Seifer fought off Ultimecia as she tried to take over his vocal control. 'No! Don't let her get away!' the sorceress cried as Squall whispered to the girl before sending her out of the room.

"Heyhey… Come on people," Seifer said lightly, as much to Ultimecia as to his friends. He had to win time to control himself before Ultimecia made him say something he'd regret.

It was Raijin who retorted first. "Seifer, we're quittin', y'know? Don't know what's right anymore y'know."

Seifer nodded. "Exactly my thoughts." It was only logical they wanted to get out. Things were too messed up at any rate. But that didn't mean it didn't sting. "…I thought we were a posse."

Fuujin turned to face him head on. "POSSE…" she stated fiercely. But then her face mellowed. "We are. We always will be," she said, her voice so much softer than usual. "Because we're a posse, we want to help you. Whatever it takes to fulfil your dream, we're willing to do." It was strange to hear her speak normally in the presence of anyone but himself. She was sincere. Very much so. Even if he had been deaf, he could tell her feeling word by word from her single eye, which was fixed on him.

"But… you're being manipulated, Seifer," the silver-haired girl continued. "You've lost yourself and your dream. You're just eating out of someone's hand. We want the old you back! Since we can't get through to you, all we have to rely on is Squall." She paused, looking at her feet. "It's sad… Sad that we only have Squall to rely on…"

The silence that fell was heavy. Even the SeeD were surprised, although he couldn't tell if that was because of what she had said, or because she'd spoken in full sentences. But before anyone else could react, she lifted her head and looked him sharply in the eye.

"Seifer! Are you still gonna keep going?"

He didn't reply. They both knew what the answer was, and he could tell his friend did her best not to show how much it hurt her. There really was nothing left to say, so instead, he brought Hyperion up to his face in salute. "Raijin, Fuujin! It's been fun!"

His friends returned the gesture with a solemn bow. They would respect his decision, even if they didn't agree and didn't understand. Then, without looking back, they ran out.

Seifer took a short moment to let the departure of his posse sink in. The loyalty Fuujin and Raijin had shown to him, long after he had expected them to cut and run from the sinking ship that was his life, meant incredibly much to him.

But they were right to leave while they still could. He didn't want them to follow where he was going anyway.

* * *

Please R&R. Updates are underway! 


	15. Take My Breath Away

Fuujin and Raijin have left. Seifer, romantic that he is, hopes for poetic justice andis determinedto die at the hands of the one he vowed to protect. But he's not going down without a fight...

Thanks for the reviews, everyone. Enjoy!

* * *

**Part 15 – Take my breath away**

Now alone in the face of his destiny, Seifer observed the three SeeD before him. They didn't speak or even take out their weapons. They just stood there and looked at him, waiting for him to make the next move.

So he did. After returning Hyperion to its sheath for the moment, he jumped from the elevated bridge down to the floor. Yes, he was ready. Straightening himself to his full height, he approached them.

Squall, more serious than ever before, met him with an inquisitive but guarded look in his eyes.

"Are you going to continue with this knight thing?"

Seifer let out a short, humourless laugh. "The knight has retired," he answered truthfully. "I guess you could call me a young revolutionary."

The young SeeD shook his head and sighed irritably. "What do you think you're doing?" he demanded, sounding both exasperated and concerned.

Seifer carefully ignored the emotion he had detected in his rival's voice, dismissing it as imagined. Instead he let his fire magic fill his being as he closed the distance between them until they were just out of each others' reach. The flames in his body and mind gave him the confidence he lacked himself, and even pushed Ultimecia to the very brink of his consciousness.

"I always gotta be doing something _big!_" he shot back, striking a pose that said 'come and get me' with the determination of a man who has nothing to lose."I don't want to stop. I'm gonna keep running! I've come this far..." Instinctively, his hand reached for Hyperion and drew the black blade out in salute to his adversaries. "I'm gonna make it to the end, to the goal," he yelled. "And there's no way I'm sharing it with you!"

With a dramatic swipe of his blade, he strode forward. 'You're ready,' he screamed in the confinement of his own mind. 'Go kill her. Do what you're supposed to do! Finish it! Finish _me_!'

His opponents drew their weapons in reply to his challenge. With a sense of satisfaction, Seifer glanced at Squall's gunblade. The weapon radiated a blue light which illuminated its wielder and reflected on the heavy metal pendant Squall wore around his neck. Exactly the way he remembered it…

The SeeD took their battle positions with practised ease, but as soon as they were ready to attack, the light in the room dropped dramatically. The atmosphere grew unnaturally heavy as a rift in the dimensional continuum ripped open, signalling the arrival of a Guardian Force.

Eyes trained on the rift, Seifer watched the Guardian Force Odin, seated on a white stallion, stride onto the battlefield with an air of arrogance that matched his own. Arrogance well deserved, for Odin's ability of killing even the strongest opponents with one blow was well known.

There was a moment of recognition between the two warriors before Odin drew his sword and charged. In return, Seifer met the threat head on, elated and burning with every ounce of magic he possessed. Never taking his eyes off the horseman, he stood still and upright, Hyperion extended without wavering. He had made his resolve. One, and only one had the right to kill him! And that one wasn't Odin…

The clash was tremendous. Blades cut through the air but never met. Then, as quickly as it had begun, the battle was over. On the other side of the small battlefield, Odin slumped, horse and all, to the ground, unmistakably dead.

Seifer, still unscathed, watched in disdain as the remains of the Guardian Force disappeared and Odin's blade vanished in the dimensional rift, which closed immediately after it. Then he returned his attention to the SeeD, who were left gaping. Even Squall looked uncharacteristically surprised.

"Odin…?"

"Ha, I won't go down that easy!" Seifer boasted, green eyes narrowing. "Show me what you've got, Squall! Let me add another scar for ya!"

From the first few hesitant attacks, he could tell they were surprised to find out how strong he really was. Before now, he had always hidden that reserve of power that was inherent to his magic, sparing Squall and his comrades a battle they couldn't possibly win. But now things were different. His little brother had grown greatly in skill and strength, enough for him to win a no-holds-barred fight.

And if this was to be his last battle, he wanted to enjoy every second of it!

He let Hyperion lash hungrily at the SeeD, who retaliated swiftly and forcefully. Rinoa's pinwheel blade left a gash in his arm and Zell's blows bruised him badly enough. He countered by casting spell after spell at them. Every attack seemed to pull him up to a new power level. It was intoxicating, but he didn't give in to it too readily. He wouldn't go all out against anyone but Squall, who had contributed precious little to the fight so far.

The silent warrior stood perfectly still, a faint yellowish glow around him from a spell Rinoa had cast on him earlier. Then, suddenly, his eyes snapped open, radiating a fierce determination. Seifer instinctively braced himself for the coming onslaught.

Squall charged and attacked. Blow after blow landed on Seifer's body, and there was very little he could have done to counter, even if he had wanted to. But he just let them come, taking the damage his rival dealt him. It was no more than just, and no less than he expected.

But when the final blow was dealt, it didn't bring him to his knees. He licked his lips. 'Not good enough, Squall. Not nearly good enough.' If that was supposed to be Squall's special move, then it was time to show them what _real_ strength was.

Invisible flames snaked on the inside of his eyes and pressed hard towards his finger tips. A fresh surge of power levitated him a few feet off the ground. Cutting the air twice with Hyperion caused a fire cross to form on the floor. Waist-high flames licked the three SeeD, who could do nothing to protect themselves against the searing heat, or against the burn when the fire exploded with a tremendous blow that sent them staggering.

Spent but not yet exhausted by his show of force, Seifer assumed his usual battle stance again. He noticed how Squall and his friends struggled to keep standing after the explosion, and decided against using the attack a second time. He wanted to push Squall into killing him, not murder him first.

His last trick had the desired effect, though. Squall got a tighter hold on his blade and attacked again. Seifer didn't parry, but it was poor aim that prevented the younger man from running him through where he stood. Instead, the blue gunblade only cut his side, leaving a deep gash nonetheless.

Then the air went heavy again. He looked up in alarm. None of the SeeD had summoned a Guardian Force, and Odin was dead. What the hell was going on?

The dimensional rift reoperd in the same place as before, and a strange figure, an exotically clad swordsman with more arms than usual, appeared. The warrior focussed on Seifer, but from his stance, it was clear he wasn't going to attack.

"You've given me the fourth one…," he said in a low, drawling voice.

Battered and completely taken off guard by the turn of events, Seifer found himself unable to fight off Ultimecia's consciousness as she reinstate her presence in his mind. 'That is Gilgamesh, the legendary warrior who wanders time and space,' she told him, almost reverently.

The sorceress' respect was not returned, Seifer could tell. No sooner had she spoken, or pale eyes suddenly lit up hotly behind the red cape that covered the swordsman's face.

"Huh? Was it you?" the low voice snapped. "Then dodge my sword!"

Without warning, Gilgamesh attacked. Four arms wielded four swords with expert precision, creating a deadly vortex of mashing blades. Seifer just stared at it, wide-eyed and too stupefied to move. Then it hit him. The force of the attack sent him flying several feet before making him crash onto the floor. Everything went black at the impact.

When he came to, either an eternity or just a few seconds later, he lay face down on the floor. His body hurt and he tasted blood in his mouth, but he was still alive. Angered, he pushed himself up on his elbows to see his surroundings.

The SeeD were still there, although they had broken their battle formation. The fight was over, but they made no move for a follow up. Rinoa even gazed at him with infuriatingly compassionate eyes.

"Seifer…" she sighed, clasping her hands.

But he ignored her and stared up at his rival. Squall's face was almost expressionless, but in his eyes so many emotions raged that it was impossible to tell what he was thinking. Still, he held his blade casually in one hand. No fingers clenched around the handle, no hands trembling with hatred, and for all the emotions they showed, there was no murderous look in those grey eyes.

'He's not going to do it, boy…' Ultimecia taunted, voicing his own thoughts.

Outraged, Seifer jumped to his feet, the pain that tore through his body at the suddenly movements only fuelling his fury further.

"Not yet! It's not over yet, Squall!" he screamed. If all he had done wasn't enough to guarantee Squall's blade in his heart, then there was still one last thing that would. Before anyone expected it, he grabbed hold of Rinoa and ran out to the hallway, using what strength he had left to drag the girl along to the next level of Lunatic Pandora's crystalline core.

He didn't give her one quarter to move in any direction but the one he was taking her in. Rinoa shrieked her lungs out for her boyfriend, but Seifer made no effort to shut her up. He didn't have to, because when she saw where he was dragging her to and understood what he had planned for her, she stopped yelling and started crying.

"Seifer, no! Don't!" she pleaded, trying to wring her arm our of his iron grip as he pulled her towards Adel's cryo-seal. "Haven't you done enough? I know you're not like this!"

She was right, he wasn't. But desperate times ask for desperate measures, and he _was_ desperate.

"I can't go back now! I can't go anywhere," he hissed despite himself, hoping it didn't sound like the confession it was.

Adel hung in her seal, ominous yet inanimate. Seifer waited, holding Rinoa in front of him. One second, two seconds, three seconds… Then he heard the sound of running footsteps approach the chamber. Four seconds, five seconds, six seconds… Rinoa writhed in his arms, but he still didn't let go. Seven seconds, eight…

The SeeD, now five men strong, came charging in. At that moment, while still holding the struggling girl with on hand, Seifer pressed the release button of the cryo-seal with the other. "The Sorceresses as one," he announced. "That's Ultimecia's wish!"

Adel's eyes lit up red, and her large body began to move, slowly but surely. The seal broke away bit by bit as she freed herself from her icy cage. Then, just before she had completely released herself, Seifer shoved Rinoa towards the groping claws. He watched as the monstrous sorceress assimilated the girl into her own body. It was a sickening sight, but it didn't move him. All he could think of, all he could hope for, was Squall's retribution for what he had just done.

But Squall rushed past him to help his girlfriend, blatantly ignoring his rival. Even the others didn't even look at him as they prepared yet again for combat.

Disillusioned, exhausted and ready to give up, Seifer let himself sag to the floor. He was bleeding from numerous wounds and a pain in his chest made breathing difficult. Probably broken ribs. He hadn't even noticed until now how badly injured he really was.

Through heavy-lidded eyes he saw the SeeD battling Adel while trying to spare Rinoa. He found himself hoping they would succeed. Despite disliking the girl, he didn't hate her. He wasn't proud of what he had done to her, but he hadn't had a choice but to resort to such extreme measures.

Hadn't had a choice… He had used that excuse far too often to justify what he what he did, instead of stopping to consider other solutions. A single tear travelled his cheek. In his determination he had made so many mistakes. Far too many for him to atone for in a lifetime…

A cheer of joy ripped him from his self-pity. He wanted see what it was about, but he didn't have the strength to lift his head, nor the will to try. There was lots of talking going on, but he didn't listen. It didn't matter anymore. Even if Squall didn't kill him now, there was always Hyperion.

And then, without a sound or warning, the world caved in on itself.

* * *

Sounds like the end, does it? It's not. One more chapter and an epilogue are still in the pipeline. I'm off to a sunny island for the holidays, but I'll try to update before my flight leaves (don't take that as a promise, though >. ). In the mean time, please R&R! Your opinion is valued! 


	16. Time's Tempest

Wouldn't you know it, but I'm still alive! Between being away for the holidays and the work waiting for me when I got back, I didn't get much of a chance to update. Besides, this chapter was crime to write. I went through some eight different versions before coming up with something that was worth posting. On the bright side, though, this chapter istwice as long as the previous ones.

Don't forget to let me know what you think. Enjoy!

* * *

**Part 16 – Time's tempest**

First there was only a sensation of weightlessness. All he could see around him was darkness and there was no sound whatsoever, except for the dull throbbing of his heartbeat resonating in his ears. He couldn't tell if he was floating or falling, or just lying still. The air was so oppressive it hampered his breathing.

So this was Time Compression…

For a long moment nothing happened before he felt his body and mind stretch beyond the conceivable limits as time and space distorted around him. Like someone was trying to draw him through the eye of a needle. It was painful without truly hurting him. Then, without prior warning, gravity set in and he fell.

The next thing he knew, he was flat on his back and gasping for air. The sudden attempt to breathe was immediately punished by hacking coughs as his body reminded him not to move too much. He pressed his back to the surface he was laying on, willing the pain and his ragged breathing to subside.

His head stopped swimming after a few slow, shallow breaths. As everything began to feel relatively normal again, he focussed his attention outwards again. Through his closed eye lids, he could tell that wherever he was, there was plenty of light. And he wasn't dead either, as his aching chest and side continuously pointed out. Carefully, he tried to open his eyes and observe his surroundings. Maybe it would give him an idea of where he was.

When his eyes got used to the blearing light, Seifer saw he was lying on the floor of what could easily have been a ball room. It was lit by chandeliers with candles that were far too bright to be the ordinary household type, and had marble pillars that rose along the walls. Right over his head was a huge stained glass dome that was decorated with eight brilliant crystal balls which orbited the inside of the dome. In all, the room looked like the castle from a fairytale.

"Get up," a cold female voice suddenly cut through the magic of the moment.

Recognising the accent instantly, Seifer snarled. Of course, what was a fairytale castle without the token evil witch?

His sarcasm was jump-started by the unexpected hostile situation he had landed in. His instinct wanted to reply with one of this trademark comments, but then he noticed that for once he was actually alone in his own mind. Her command had been a vocal one, and that meant she had to be very near.

Slowly he turned his head to look for his former mistress. He found her sitting on a throne, a few feet to his left. She stared at him, waiting for him to move. But he didn't. He only stared back.

"I said, get up," she finally repeated, sharper this time.

Seifer didn't respond immediately, but then, still moving slowly, he hoisted himself to a sitting position. He wanted to get to his feet, but the effort would most likely knock him out. So he settled for glaring at the Sorceress in stead.

Seeing her ex-Knight wasn't able to do much of anything, let alone obey her commands, Sorceress Ultimecia rose from her throne and crossed the distance between them in silence.

Despite himself, Seifer marvelled at the sight of her. She had inserted an image of herself in his mind before, but to see her for real was something different. Her long hair was silver, not blond, like he had always thought. Still, she was young, younger than he had expected. And smaller, too, to the point of seeming fragile. She would have looked cute if not for the stern look on her face. In the revealing red dress she wore, one could easily mistake her for a posh call-girl. But there was a cruel edge to her beauty, and her golden eyes betrayed who and what she really was. It was just that which made her without a doubt the most beautiful and the most dangerous woman he had ever seen.

She smiled at him, a warm smile that looked very out of place on her lips. "Poor boy," she sighed in mock-compassion as she lowered herself to one knee before him. "So hurt, so lonely. And to know that this is only the beginning…"

"You can't threaten me," he replied with as much pride as he'd let himself. "I've come to expect nothing from you but death."

She continued to smile, but it was a cold smile now. "Then I taught you well despite your obstinacy. And you are right. It is not a matter of whether I will kill you. You know I will. But not now. Not yet." She gently placed her hand on the gash in his side and whispered a spell. The familiar glow of a curative spell enveloped the wound and closed it.

"What the…?"

"Oh don't look so surprised," the Sorceress said as she rose again. "You won't last very long if you are half-dead already. Where would be the fun in that? Now…" All human emotions drained from her face as she pointed a long finger at him. "Get up!"

Seifer was still recovering from his initial surprise when an invisible hand grabbed him and yanked him to his feet.

"Better," Ultimecia cooed as she resumed her throne. "Now at least we can talk. You and I have much to…diskuss."

"No doubt," he hissed with the usual sarcasm. Instinctively, he had run a quick damage assessment, but the outcome wasn't favourable. While her spell had healed his side and perhaps some of his cracked ribs as a fringe benefit, she hadn't done much more than giving him the strength to stand up. He couldn't hope to fight her even if he wanted to.

The Sorceress smirked cruelly. "Do not think you kan get out of our little konversation, _boy_. It is too long overdue."

Already annoyed, Seifer now felt the snare of his temper snap. There was only so much he'd take from this bitch. Anger rose in his chest and with it his magic. "I told you before, woman," he warned. "I am NOT A BOY!" He willed a wall of flames to rise up around her, but nothing happened. He tried again. Again without success. The fire was there, but it wouldn't come out. He stared from his hands to his intended target in bewilderment.

Ultimecia sat unperturbed on her throne, chuckling softly. "I was hoping you would try something like that," she commented with obvious amusement. Then she pointed overhead, at the glass dome. "Do you see those krystal orbs? They belong with my Guardian Forces. They block all magik inside the walls of my kastle, except my own." A smug grin appeared on her face when she saw the look on his face. "I see you understand the implikations, yes?"

That he did. The implications for himself, but also for the SeeD who would try to reach her. No matter how well-trained they were, Squall and his friends were no match for her if they couldn't access their spells or summon their Guardian Forces. All of a sudden, their victory wasn't as clear cut as he had always believed it was.

"Now you know your place, it is time I had my way with you."

Her arms swept up in series of grand gestures. Seifer felt the invisible force take hold of him again, but this time it pushed him backwards instead of lifting him. He came to a standstill when his back and head pressed roughly against something that felt like a pole rising from the floor. He wanted to turn and see, but the invisible force wouldn't let him.

The Sorceress flicked her wrist, and Seifer felt his hands moving. He tried to resist it, but in vain. He could only watch as the palm of his left hand pressed firmly against the back of his right. Then his arms began moving upwards, positioning his hands over his head, pressing against the pole which apparently rose well over his head. Involuntarily he recalled the ancient woodcuts in the history books at Garden, portraying alleged Sorceresses sentenced to burn to death at the stakes. They were shown tied to a pole much in the same fashion he was now. Somehow he doubted the similarity was a coincidence.

From her throne, Ultimecia admired the scene she had created. "I am so going to enjoy this," she said with a nod of approval while making another gesture with her hand.

To his horror, Seifer saw a large icicle materialise in the air. Although nowhere near as wide as the one that had run Squall through during the parade in Deling City, it was still sizeable enough to be frightening. Eyes widening in anticipation, he gazed at the Sorceress. Her expression was one of cruel amusement, and confirmed his suspicions of what would happen next.

It went so fast he couldn't prepare. Still he tried to stifle his cry as the icicle bored through his palms, effectively nailing his hands to the pole. For a moment, his vision went red. His instinct was to pull his hands to his chest, but the attempted movement only sent another shot of pain through his arms. Jaw working but otherwise keeping as still as possible, he tried to blink away the tears that came to his eyes. He stared up the ceiling as he recomposed himself.

Then he noticed something odd. The crystals were still circling on the inside of the dome, but there was a gap. He counted them several times, if only to take his mind off the pain. Seven orbs. Hadn't there been eight before? Yes, eight crystals, eight GF's, eight magic seals. But there were only seven left now…

"Still determined not to break when your body and your mind are already in shreds?" Ultimecia's sharp voice reclaimed his attention. "Kommendable. Stupid, but kommendable. It makes punishing you so much more interesting."

Seifer shot her a venomous look. "Go to hell."

"After you."

At a wave of her hand, three new icicles formed in mid-air. They were smaller than the one that punctured his hands, but that was hardly a comforting fact. She let them float around for a while, moving them up and down as she decided where to hit him. For what seemed minutes on end, the icy spikes hovered just inches in front of his face.

He blinked, and the icicles were gone. Two seconds later, he felt a sharp pain spread from this left thigh. He couldn't move his head too much without tearing at his hands, but in his peripheral sight, he could just make out three glistening spikes protruding from his left leg. He would have cried out if it hadn't made him so very angry.

Still on her throne, Ultimecia observed her former Knight, waiting for him to come undone.

"Well?" she inquired, both intrigued and annoyed when he wouldn't budge.

Seifer glared at her, tilting his head back in defiance. "I won't fall apart for your entertainment," he hissed through clenched teeth.

"Such bravery. Why kouldn't you show such determination when I asked it of you?"

Although he had his answer ready as she spoke, he hesitated, sparing a glance at the ceiling. He didn't have time to count them, but there were again crystals missing from the set orbiting the dome. If his guess was correct and the orbs were indeed connected to the Guardian Forces sealing the use of magic, then disappearing orbs could only meant that someone or something was killing Ultimecia's Guardian Forces. No GF's, no seals. And no seals meant free use of magic…

Seifer gritted his teeth. He had promised himself to let go of everything in every way. He had promised himself the peace of death. But after everything he had done to help Squall meet his destiny, could he really just stand back now and not do anything while Ultimecia threatened to turn the tables in her favour at the last moment?

"A man can't give what he has already dedicated to someone else. My loyalties were set long ago." he said out loud, voicing both his answer to her and his own thoughts.

"You speak of your dream…" She snorted, apparently oblivious of his interest in her crystals. "I'm sure your precious Squall doesn't kount your loyalty among his assets. After all, you rejekted both him and your Garden very eksplicitly on several okkasions."

Seifer tried to ignore the cold that settled in his chest at hearing the truth in her words. It numbed him, but glancing up a the orbs once more, he saw a way of redeeming himself, at least in his own eyes. After all…

"….regardless of what I did or didn't do, I never was and never will be your Knight, Ultimecia."

"And that is _eksactly _why you are here now!"

The fresh set of icicles plunged in his abdomen before they were even fully formed. He couldn't help but scream and he almost doubled over, barely able to stop the movement before the wounds in his hands tore.

The Sorceress let out a satisfied chuckle. She rose to her feet and leisurely strolled towards him.

"I do not take kindly to being double-krossed," she stated as she closed in on him. "Especially not by a mere boy who believes he is invincible bekause of what he saw in a dream."

Swallowing the pain, Seifer found his voice again.

"It was a memory, and you know it. You saw it in my mind. You _know_ how this is going to end!"

A long finger traced his jaw line. "I am not so sure about that," Ultimecia smiled. "Bekause unlike you, I believe the past _kan_ be changed. As the future changes, so does the past. If I win this battle, the past you know will be undone."

Passionate denial can be a strong sedative if you want it to. "Don' be stupid!" Seifer yelled furiously. "Of course the past can't change. It has already happened!" He leaned forward as much as he could. "Feel my powers?" he hissed. "That's no paramagic. That's elemental control!"

Ultimecia pursed her lips. With the tip of her finger, she waddled one of the icicles lodged in his abdomen. He winced and he bit his lip until it bled, but didn't cry out. She nodded in approval, as if his reaction confirmed what she was thinking.

"Your powers were the reason I chose you as my Knight in the first place," she explained. "You are strong. Stronger than the SeeD, if you wish it. You made it very hard for me to influence your mind, whereas even the two sorceresses I possessed hardly fought back. It was… an intriguing eksperience, if very inkonvenient." She smiled and then twisted a spike in his leg. He gazed intently at his face as she studied his reaction. "So much pain, and still no sound. I admit your stamina is enviable. I wonder how much more it takes…"

Seifer pressed his lips together. It would take a lot less than he'd like to break him now. The only good thing about the icicles was that they plugged the wounds that they had made. If she decided to pull them out, he'd bleed to death in a matter of two, maybe three minutes. But then, she was the vengeful type.

He glanced up without moving his head. Through his eyelashes, he could see only two crystals slowly orbiting the dome. He didn't dare try his magic for fear it would alert her, but there was of course the very real chance that the orbs had no significance at all, and that he was holding out for nothing. Then again, he asked himself if he wanted to take that risk. As always the answer was clear.

"Squall _will_ kill you," he coughed. "Because when you die and you have to give away your powers, you'll give them to Edea. All but one. And that one will come to me." He locked his eyes on hers, his face darkening with the hatred he felt for her. "That is how I knew you were coming. That is why you like my powers so much. And that's how I _know _you will die before your precious Time Compression is complete."

Ultimecia's golden eyes widened in anger. With a flick of her wrist, two more icicles appeared. At her signal one cut into his left shoulder, the other in his right.

"Insolent boy!" she hollowed. "I will not die! Your precious Squall and his SeeD are no match for me, and neither are you. No one is! This world is mine. Mine to rule as I please! And no SeeD will stand in my way!"

Seifer drew a ragged breath. He felt completely exhausted, but strangely enough he drew strength from resisting her. In his despair he had forgotten how good it felt not to give up. To fight back… Fuujin had been wrong. He _was_ a Knight, and like a Knight, he would die protecting the one he loved.

"…are you really convinced you will win?" he asked softly, winning time. "You know what I have seen. Are you willing to bet that what I saw wasn't true?"

"The past kan be changed," she stated.

He would have nodded if it didn't hurt so much. "Very well… Then this is where we find out who's right and who is wrong. If Squall will kill you, or you him." He coughed. The taste of blood spread in his mouth, but he ignored it. Tilting his head up as much as he could, he looked at the dome. "The moment of truth, Ultimecia. See that? There is only one crystal left. My guess is someone's been killing your GF's and breaking your seals..."

She whipped around to see what he was talking about. He could hear her gasp when she saw, too, that her crystals were reduced to one lone orb circling in the air. She then turned back and gazed at him, her face livid. It told him all he needed to know.

"This is not the end!' she shrieked. "I still have my trump card. _I will be viktorious_!"

But Seifer smiled knowingly. No matter what she said, there was no doubt in his mind now that everything would come full circle. Feeling more satisfied than he had in a long time, he closed his eyes.

In the darkness, it felt like he wasn't captured anymore, but floating, weightless. He gave in to the sensation. On the edge of his consciousness he heard voices. Familiar voices, calling his name. It made no sense, until he recognised one of them. It was Fuujin's voice.

Now he knew for certain he was dreaming. And maybe this time, it would be forever.

* * *

I always wondered why Ultimecia didn't just kill the SeeD off at the porch when they wouldn't stand a chance. Why wait for them to gather strength first? Case of bad tactics, if you ask me… 

Anyway, this is the final chapter of Fire Storm. I know I promised an epilogue, but I can't stand to see Seifer's devotion to Squall remaining unanswered, so I've set my mind on writing a (M-rated) sequel instead. (I'm still looking for a beta-reader for that story, preferably someone who can give me some tips on writing yaoi, since that'll be a first for me. So if you feel like helping me out, drop me a line.)

Thanks for reading!


End file.
